LEARNING FROM OUR PAIN

Part 1

Seeking after pleasure and avoiding pain – nothing could be more normal and natural for us to desire.  Seeking pain – that’s abnormal, masochistic - not good!  However, pain seems to find us from time to time in life, sometimes, at least from our perspective, far too often.  What to do when life dishes out these times of discomfort, suffering, betrayal – follow the old, but somewhat silly-sounding advice:  “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!” - ?  Really?  That sounds like pretty good advice, on the one hand, but, on the other hand, it can lead us to believe that our taking charge of the situation is not only the right thing to do but either the best thing, or, the only thing to do.

This can be a very subtle, but crippling, danger.  By doing so, we learn to rely on ourselves as the source of all of life’s solutions.  Lemons are one thing, but some of the pain life hands out can be something altogether different.  Someone we had trusted, liked, even embraced as a very close friend or loved one betrays us and causes the deepest of wounds.  Lemons – yeah, that’s one thing.  Betrayal, cancer, paralysis, the sudden loss of a loved one, especially a spouse, child, parent or sibling – well, that’s an assault on the balance of and the comfortable order of our lives of a different magnitude altogether – not even in the same ball park!

What, then, to do?  How should we respond?  What should we do when our senses are all rubbed raw and our eyes won’t stop weeping, and our soul feels dry and desolate, when the ache in the gut goes deeper and deeper with claws of grief and anxiety and fear and confusion?  Huh?  No clichés will do now, will they?  Search deeply within. 

The first step is to ask the right question.  Asking why this has happened to us will not help.  You’ve heard this expressed as a statement of truth and often posed as a question:  “Why do bad things happen to good people?” The answer is rather direct and very clear:  Pain is a part of this sin-sick, fallen world we were born into, and all of us can experience pain and suffering. 

Rather, we should ask, “What?”  What can I learn from this experience, Lord, and how can I use that knowledge to live in Victory?  That is my desire, personally, and I hope to share with you the power of choosing to live in victory.  We are not defined by our circumstances, and I refuse to let them defeat me.  How can I say that with such confidence?  I can declare it to you, and share with you, not as a boast of my own strength, but as a confession of weakness in true humility.  If you, with me, are in Christ Jesus, then (1) we have the promise of His Word that we can, indeed, do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil. 4:13), and (2) as a testimony that the Lord has truly proven Himself faithful to be with me even through “the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4).  He has promised to never leave us, nor to ever forsake us (Hebrews 13:5b), and I have found this to be true.  Therefore, the first step in Learning from Our Pain is to seek Him who is the Source of all Truth, Strength and Life.

Last word for Part 1: If you are not with me in Christ Jesus, that is the first and only right decision to make. He is the Life, the Truth and the Way (to walk in this life), and in Him we can truly find the answers to our questions about life, and only He can help us to live in victory, in, through and above every pain of life.  If you don't "know" Him, then I invite you to make that wonderful decision repent of all of your sins and to surrender your life to Him right now and ask Him forgive your sins, to come into your heart as Savior and as King!  God Bless you. .  

To be continued . . . .