Thank God for the Pain
When I was a child, I had these extreme cramps in my knees. Every so often, when I slept, I would wake up in excruciating pain in one or both of my knees. I couldn't go back to sleep it would hurt so much.
My mom called them "leg aches" and said they were just growing pains. They'd come and then go and recur every once in a while. Eventually, as I got older, they went away. I guess they really were growing pains after all.
I vividly remember laying in my room at night, cradled into a fetal position and clutching my knee under the covers. I'd rub it, thinking warmth would be the answer. I'd try to flex it, hoping to shake loose any pain. A few times I even blew hot moisture onto my hands and placed it on my knee, thinking it might bring relief. Nothing ever worked.
Those pains kept me up many a nights. In those moments, it never occurred to me to thank God for my leg aches. It never crossed my mind to be thankful for the pain shooting through my joints and stirring me awake.
Yet, God allowed that pain. He could have taken it away, but he allowed me to experience that sensation. Had he not, I might not have grown. I'd still be a small child. Those pains were for my benefit.
We can't always see the benefits of our pain and rightly so. When we're in pain, be it physical, emotional, psychological or even spiritual, we're focused on getting relief. We pray for healing and normalcy and we should. It's only later, after emerging from the pain, we see how we've matured as result of our experience.
That's why it's important to thank God for our pain - even while we're in the midst of it. Thanking God while amidst pain reminds us that God is in control. Nothing is too big or strong for him to handle. It also reminds us that he's always there. Nothing can separate us from his love. It also allows us to look back and see how God has worked in the past and is still working in our present condition.
Job, when he lost his family, praised God. Jesus, in the hours before his execution, spent time in prayer for God and for his disciples. Paul and other the apostles thanked God for their suffering for the Kingdom's sake.
If you're in pain this Thanksgiving - of any sort - take some time and thank God for the pain. It may sound strange, but God is working in your situation and he's strengthening you even now. Pain brings us closer to our creator. We can thank God in that pain because we know, ultimately, we will live without pain in this life or the next.
Thank God for pain, even if it's painful to do.
My mom called them "leg aches" and said they were just growing pains. They'd come and then go and recur every once in a while. Eventually, as I got older, they went away. I guess they really were growing pains after all.
I vividly remember laying in my room at night, cradled into a fetal position and clutching my knee under the covers. I'd rub it, thinking warmth would be the answer. I'd try to flex it, hoping to shake loose any pain. A few times I even blew hot moisture onto my hands and placed it on my knee, thinking it might bring relief. Nothing ever worked.
Those pains kept me up many a nights. In those moments, it never occurred to me to thank God for my leg aches. It never crossed my mind to be thankful for the pain shooting through my joints and stirring me awake.
Yet, God allowed that pain. He could have taken it away, but he allowed me to experience that sensation. Had he not, I might not have grown. I'd still be a small child. Those pains were for my benefit.
We can't always see the benefits of our pain and rightly so. When we're in pain, be it physical, emotional, psychological or even spiritual, we're focused on getting relief. We pray for healing and normalcy and we should. It's only later, after emerging from the pain, we see how we've matured as result of our experience.
That's why it's important to thank God for our pain - even while we're in the midst of it. Thanking God while amidst pain reminds us that God is in control. Nothing is too big or strong for him to handle. It also reminds us that he's always there. Nothing can separate us from his love. It also allows us to look back and see how God has worked in the past and is still working in our present condition.
Job, when he lost his family, praised God. Jesus, in the hours before his execution, spent time in prayer for God and for his disciples. Paul and other the apostles thanked God for their suffering for the Kingdom's sake.
If you're in pain this Thanksgiving - of any sort - take some time and thank God for the pain. It may sound strange, but God is working in your situation and he's strengthening you even now. Pain brings us closer to our creator. We can thank God in that pain because we know, ultimately, we will live without pain in this life or the next.
Thank God for pain, even if it's painful to do.
Comments
Post a Comment