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There's so much of it around these days.
The pain of a lost child...
The pain of a broken relationship...
The pain of ongoing conflict...
The pain of loneliness and depression...
It's everywhere. And I dare say there isn't a single person we interact with who isn't feeling some pain on some level.
There seems to be a perception out there that Christians should not be in pain. They should always be happy and joyful, because Jesus has taken away our sins, so there should be no pain to feel. If we are feeling pain, it's because our faith isn't strong enough, or because we're being punished for something....
BULLCRAP.
Christ's death and resurrection may have paid the price for our sins, and allow us to approach The Throne and accept the Mercy and Grace made available to us, but it doesn't mean we won't experience pain. We will still endure hardship, we will still suffer pain.
The difference is, we can lean on Him in our times of pain, and He can help us deal with the source of the pain. Being a Christian doesn't mean we have a "magic pill" to take away the pain of life in this world, but it does mean we have a refuge, a place where we can cry out and find comfort, and the strength to continue in spite of the pain.
So many times, I hear the question, "why do bad things happen to good people?" It goes back to that quote from Rick Warren in The Purpose-Driven Life: "God's not concerned about our comfort, He's concerned about our character". Everything is a lesson. Everything is preparation for the work He wants us to do. And unfortunately, some of us have to learn the hard way.
How can we comfort a grieving mother, if we haven't lost a child ourselves? How can we minister to a divorcee, if we haven't gone through the pain of separation/divorce ourselves? How can we understand the pain of unrelenting depression, if we haven't experienced it ourselves? Even God subjected Himself to the human experience, so He knows what we are going through. So many times, we'll look back on our times of pain, and realize that the experience prepared us for what was to come, and we'll find purpose in what initially appeared to be a meaningless horror.
I know it doesn't help to hear this when you're in the midst of unbearable pain. In fact, it's usually the last thing you want to hear. You just want the pain to stop, for things to seem "normal" again, for it all to just go away. And I can say that, because I've been there.
But we have the ultimate Shoulder to cry on. Even when we don't have the words, and just cry out, the Holy Spirit prays for us. The Lord won't necessarily take our pain away, but He will wrap His arms around us, quiet our souls, and give us the strength to endure. And just like that old "Footprints" poem, when we can't go any further on our own, He will pick us up, and carry us.
Life isn't supposed to be painless.
But it shouldn't be hopeless, either.
The pain of a lost child...
The pain of a broken relationship...
The pain of ongoing conflict...
The pain of loneliness and depression...
It's everywhere. And I dare say there isn't a single person we interact with who isn't feeling some pain on some level.
There seems to be a perception out there that Christians should not be in pain. They should always be happy and joyful, because Jesus has taken away our sins, so there should be no pain to feel. If we are feeling pain, it's because our faith isn't strong enough, or because we're being punished for something....
BULLCRAP.
Christ's death and resurrection may have paid the price for our sins, and allow us to approach The Throne and accept the Mercy and Grace made available to us, but it doesn't mean we won't experience pain. We will still endure hardship, we will still suffer pain.
The difference is, we can lean on Him in our times of pain, and He can help us deal with the source of the pain. Being a Christian doesn't mean we have a "magic pill" to take away the pain of life in this world, but it does mean we have a refuge, a place where we can cry out and find comfort, and the strength to continue in spite of the pain.
So many times, I hear the question, "why do bad things happen to good people?" It goes back to that quote from Rick Warren in The Purpose-Driven Life: "God's not concerned about our comfort, He's concerned about our character". Everything is a lesson. Everything is preparation for the work He wants us to do. And unfortunately, some of us have to learn the hard way.
How can we comfort a grieving mother, if we haven't lost a child ourselves? How can we minister to a divorcee, if we haven't gone through the pain of separation/divorce ourselves? How can we understand the pain of unrelenting depression, if we haven't experienced it ourselves? Even God subjected Himself to the human experience, so He knows what we are going through. So many times, we'll look back on our times of pain, and realize that the experience prepared us for what was to come, and we'll find purpose in what initially appeared to be a meaningless horror.
I know it doesn't help to hear this when you're in the midst of unbearable pain. In fact, it's usually the last thing you want to hear. You just want the pain to stop, for things to seem "normal" again, for it all to just go away. And I can say that, because I've been there.
But we have the ultimate Shoulder to cry on. Even when we don't have the words, and just cry out, the Holy Spirit prays for us. The Lord won't necessarily take our pain away, but He will wrap His arms around us, quiet our souls, and give us the strength to endure. And just like that old "Footprints" poem, when we can't go any further on our own, He will pick us up, and carry us.
Life isn't supposed to be painless.
But it shouldn't be hopeless, either.
