Don't Waste Your Pain

In Paul's letter to the Corinthians he states that we as Christians "live by faith, not by sight." As we see through the lens of pain, our faith in Christ and His ability to cure us wavers. We think momentarily most of the time, trying to get through this pain episode only to move on to another. May I suggest we, as the Corinthians, need to be reminded we live by faith! I'm not speaking about the faith that God will cure you tomorrow, but the faith in His promises to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6); to guide our paths (Proverbs 3:6); to give us victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:56) and many more. Keep trusting in Him, friend. He loves you and cares about your pain. Keep trusting in Him and He will keep watching over you, keep protecting you, keep loving you (Psalm 145)!


Walk with me...By Faith!

Matthew 10:29-31 is one of my favorite passages in the New Testament. It says, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father...So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."
 The reason I love these verses is because it speaks totally to the sovereign aspect of God. He is so intrinsically aware and active of every part of our lives. He loves us so much that nothing goes unnoticed to Him. A single sparrow is not even worth 1 penny...They have to be sold in pairs, that's how insignificant and to speak bluntly, worthless, these birds are (as far as money goes). Yet not one single circumstance of a sparrow goes unnoticed with God. Friend, this should bring you so much joy in the midst of your circumstances.
 God knows each one of us so intimately and cares so much for us that if He is paying attention to each little bird that falls from the sky, can you even imagine for just one second how much you mean to Him, that even in your pain He sees you? He knows you. He loves you and He is working out everything according to His good will! God does not walk away from us when life gets hard. He is right there in the trenches with us and will not leave us! Take heart then and trust Him! He loves you, He is in complete control and He is holding you in the palm of His hand.

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58


This week has been extremely difficult for me. In many ways I just want to give up. But what will that accomplish? My husband still needs his wife. My daughter still needs her mother. My work is not over yet, or the Lord would have taken me home already. It is in these troubling times I am reminded of what Paul said to the church in Corinth. "Let nothing move you." That's the tricky thing about pain. It has a way of disturbing us in such a way that we don't want to move or do anything. That's not what Paul is talking about here. We shouldn't let any circumstance change our focus. We need to always be ready for the work the Lord has for us. As he finishes verse 58 by saying, "...because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain," I am just reminded that the work God is doing in and through me helps others and brings God glory. Don't get discouraged, friend. These trials you are going through are there to help you stand firm in the Lord and keep your eyes on Him. He will always give you the strength you need to face each new day.

I was reading in Judges 6 about Gideon. An angel of the Lord came down and met him under a tree. The angel said that the Lord was with Gideon, but Gideon replied in verse 13, "...if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about..."

Gideon demanded answers. He wanted God to show him miracles to keep his faith alive. God was going to do amazing things in and through Gideon, but Gideon, himself, felt weak and unusable. He felt God had abandoned His people.

But the Lord turned to Him and said in verse 14, "...go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you? 'But Lord,' Gideon asked,'how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

God was going to be with Gideon. Yes, Gideon was weak. That's the point! Same with you and me. We are weak in our flesh and in our pain, but God is strong and continually comes to rescue us! He does it so we cannot boast of ourselves!

Going on in Judges....Gideon brings 33,000 men with him to fight against the Midianites but that was not part of God's plan. You see if that many people won the war, how could anyone say, "God did this!" No they would boast in themselves. So God sifted all but 300 men saying to Gideon in Judges 7:7 "...with 300 men that I lapped I will save you..." Same is true in our lives. God allows the physical and emotional pain to drain us so that when He lifts us up no one can boast that it is us doing the work! It is all God.

Glory to Him alone!

Here is an article about a survey of people who have various chronic pain conditions and what was learned from this survey. Click  HERE  to find out more

Friends,
As Mother's Day is approaching I am taking the time to reflect back on all that my own Mother has done for me in the hours when my pain has been the worst. My sweet mother, who lives a few blocks away will take my 7 year old daughter at the drop of a hat and help with anything I need of her. She is there to help with doctor appts and picking up prescriptions. She is there to comfort me on hard days when I don't think I can go on. More than anything she reflects Christ's love to me. She thinks of my needs before her own. This Mother's day I want her to know how much she means to me and how much I appreciate her!

Yes, God has called you to the life you are living, where you are, what is happening in your life...for His purpose! Don't believe the enemy...He wants you to think this pain is a curse from God, that you were meant to be happy and healthy. He wants you to blame God. This life is not all that there is . This life is where we can shine forth Christ to a dying world that has no hope. You are called to share Christ with those around you because that may be the only hope they have. Think about what you can do today to shine forth the Gospel and  the saving love of Christ to those around you. If you can't get out of bed today-PRAY! Satan can't take that away from you. God is with you in your pain. He has a purpose in your pain and others around you are watching your life. What will you do today to show that you are not giving up and wasting your pain?