Excruciating.

Excruciating- Intense physical pain and/or agony.

It is the pain that keeps many from believing.  We look at the world around us and see so much suffering and worse yet, we feel it in our own lives in a very real way and it seems reasonable to say, "God, if you are real, where are you?"

Take another look at the Cross.

In Jesus Christ we have God's answer.  There at the very crossing of heaven and earth, we have a very real expression of suffering.  We have God himself in the most visceral of ways expressing that he is here with us.

Is pain and suffering hard to endure, hard to explain and hard to take?  Yes, of course.  I don't understand why things are the way they are, but to eliminate God leaves me to suffer all alone.  And to remove God leaves me with no explanation of this Love that persists.  Only in Jesus do we have answers for both Love and Suffering.  Jesus understands our suffering, and put himself in it.  That is why his death matters.   If we can believe he is with us, then we can find hope that he will someday relieve our pain.  That is why the Resurrection matters.

Excruciating- Out of the Cross, a pain like the pain of crucifixion.
Immanuel - God with us.

John 10:
17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Revelation 21: 3
 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”