Testimony Tuesday: Holding fast to God’s comfort during suffering and grief

By Rachel Schuck

“I am held by the God who keeps perfect covenant and that is true no matter how I fail or the hardships that I go through.”

Alyson Punzi holds a unique position: she gets to share the light of Christ with others through her story of suffering and grief.

Punzi, who works as an executive assistant in Cedarville’s Advancement Department, dwells on God’s steadfast comfort during her moments of grief, as well as his reminder that he holds her fast.

Growing up in New Jersey to parents who loved God, Punzi understood her need for a savior at a very young age. At four years old, she surrendered her life to Christ with the help of her mom.

“I realize that a lot of people who were saved that young don’t have memories of that but I do,” Punzi said. “I believe it was as genuine a confession of faith as a four-year-old could have.”

After her moment of salvation, Punzi witnessed God’s work in her life as well as in her heart. She saw firsthand the Holy Spirit shaping her love for his Word and his church.

“I’ve grown extensively over the course of my life, and there were moments throughout my life where God was just like, ‘Do you trust me? Do you still believe this?’’’ Punzi said. “I had those reaffirming moments of like, ‘This is what I’m going to hold fast to.’”

In 2015, when Punzi began her freshman year at Cedarville, she was content to pursue the Lord as a single young woman.

However, during the summer after her freshman year, Punzi met her husband Frank at New Life Island Camp. Frank, a Biblical Studies major, was also attending Cedarville at the time. As they counseled together over that summer, Punzi and Frank became very close.

At the beginning of their sophomore year, the two started dating. Within eight months, they were engaged, and fourteen months after their engagement, they were married. A few short years later, Punzi and Frank’s daughter Lois was born. 

In 2022, Frank suffered an unexpected stroke, which led to an unexpected diagnosis: Frank had acute myeloid leukemia with myeloid sarcoma, a rare type of blood cancer that had created tumors in the soft tissues of his body. While initial cancer treatments seemed to work well, it suddenly stopped working, and his cancer raged. Just two months after his diagnosis, Frank passed away.

“Literally on one day, treatment was working,” Punzi said. “And then four days later he had died.”

In the midst of Frank’s sickness and death, she remembers crying out to the Lord for strength.

“I remember journaling when Frank was sick, and I remember praying to God, ‘Lord, if you let him die, you’re going to have to carry me through this because I cannot do that by myself,’” Punzi said.

The Lord revealed his steadfast comfort to her through her suffering and grief. 

“The Lord cared for me in so many ways,” she said. “He woke me up, and he helped me get out of bed, and he helped me give my kid a hug.”

Being a wife, mother and widow in the span of a few years, Punzi once again faced the question, “Do I believe all these things about God?” 

Struggling with unanswered questions and deep hurt, Punzi found comfort in the books of Habakkuk and Psalms, both of which express the hope of crying out to God.

As she dealt with her own grief, Punzi also met the question of “How do I teach my kid to lament?” Unable to find resources about biblical lament for her daughter, Punzi decided to write and publish her own book, “He Always Hears.“

“I hope […] not just that this book is an encouragement, but that it helps a community of believers to lament with the hurting children in their churches and the hurting families in their churches,” Punzi said.

Cherishing the opportunities she has to share Christ’s hope and comfort, Punzi encourages people to lean into God’s Word, emphasizing that his Word and his church sustains the believer through suffering.

“The way the Lord provides comfort so often comes through his Word and his people, so lean into that.”

As she continues to share her story with other hurting individuals, especially through her book He Always Hears, Punzi recognizes that the Lord has used her grief to further his glory.

“That’s the Lord just being faithful,” Punzi said. “Regardless of circumstances, [God’s] gospel will be proclaimed. His name will be made known, even if earthly challenges or illnesses aren’t healed here on earth.” 

Rachel Schuck is a freshman Professional Writing and Information Design student. She loves to play the piano, get coffee with friends, and take walks in the sunshine.