I’ve seen the Lord’s kindness in an unexpected gift, a moment of laughter at the family dinner table, and an evening with friends. I can be grateful to the Lord for these gifts, and I can also easily overlook acknowledging the Creator of it all. Maybe my hands are so full of blessings that I begin to take them for granted?
But a much less enjoyable feeling is that of pain. Unfortunately, pain is much stickier than blessing. C.S. Lewis says it this way:
“…pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.…” (C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain)
Pain is the thing that sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s the thing that tells us something is wrong. In its alarm, it reveals that we have a baseline expectation of the absence of pain, so much so that when we do have pain, we pay attention to it!
Emotional, mental or physical pain can come from a lot of places. Pain can be a result of something you did (or didn’t do), something that was done to you, or the fact that we just live in a sin-cursed, catty-wampus world. Seeing pain as God’s megaphone allows us to recognize some of God’s purposes in the pain. There’s an invitation to sit in it, seek the Lord in it, and allow the pain to teach us, rather than just wish it was gone. Here are some purposes to consider amidst the pain:
Dependence and surrender to the Lord are good things. Sometimes it takes some wrestling with God or some pain along the way to bring us to that place. But I pray it can lead to greater perseverance, hope, and peace in your life.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark
But a much less enjoyable feeling is that of pain. Unfortunately, pain is much stickier than blessing. C.S. Lewis says it this way:
“…pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.…” (C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain)
Pain is the thing that sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s the thing that tells us something is wrong. In its alarm, it reveals that we have a baseline expectation of the absence of pain, so much so that when we do have pain, we pay attention to it!
Emotional, mental or physical pain can come from a lot of places. Pain can be a result of something you did (or didn’t do), something that was done to you, or the fact that we just live in a sin-cursed, catty-wampus world. Seeing pain as God’s megaphone allows us to recognize some of God’s purposes in the pain. There’s an invitation to sit in it, seek the Lord in it, and allow the pain to teach us, rather than just wish it was gone. Here are some purposes to consider amidst the pain:
- Maybe it’s something that will lead us to a greater dependence on the Lord. I’m reminded of Brennan Manning’s depiction of the Christian’s victorious life being more like a “victorious limp.” Pain might not make you stronger, but can lead you to lean more on the One who is stronger than you. Put your burdens on Him!
- Perhaps the pain can teach us about God’s presence in our life or God’s promises towards us. Maybe it’s coming from a place of the Lord’s discipline (Hebrews 12:11) and will lead us to change how we live.
- And finally, maybe the pain stirs a longing for the day where there will be “no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4). If everything was “just fine” and currently comfortable in our lives, would we realize our need for a Savior?
Dependence and surrender to the Lord are good things. Sometimes it takes some wrestling with God or some pain along the way to bring us to that place. But I pray it can lead to greater perseverance, hope, and peace in your life.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark