For it has been granted to you on behalf of
Christ not only to believe on him
but also to suffer for him.
~ Philippians 1:29
I am on day two with pain involving my back.
Can't bend, turn, stand or lay without pain..
Every movement requires careful thought.
Dressing myself waist down a challenge, as is showering.
(hubby assistance)
This morning I felt stuck lying on my side in bed. Regardless of what
or how I tried to move it, I was not able to do so.
Thankful the hubby was not working and here to help me out of bed.
On the one had I so appreciate his help and waiting on me, on the other hand
I have great difficulty with help and being waited on!
In the scheme of things....no biggie...yet it's an area I've never felt comfortable in.
Never comfortable but I trust God continues to get me comfortable in it!
I have learned that it blesses the person doing the helping...
A work in progress for sure.....
~
Pain we rarely understand it's purpose
Pain...it's inevitable in life, be it physical or emotional.
Neither are something we want in our lives,
both can produce something awesome.
I've recently read that if we were to know what was to come in our lives we may try and
prepare for it, get in God's way,
rather than allowing the element of surprise to test our faith,
as well as in it's process, bring glory and honor to God in others seeing our faith
in action..
It's in the painful stuff we grow the most.
Jim McGuggian refers to pain as a Badge of Honor...
In the Bible no one suffered pain and losses like Job did.
God allowed Satan to bring much pain and torment upon Job.
God knew Job loved him above all else and that Job's faith in God
was greater than Satan's attempt to rock it!
It was all intended to bring glory and honor to God.
"He, Job, being made into humanity's champion against the dark forces of evil and cynicism.
Job being totally unaware of God's plan, made the physical and emotional pain even worse."
Here's the part I loved reading;
"Had he known what was happening, he would almost certainly not have asked
for the pain to be removed-
it was a badge of honor, don't you see.
Still the pain was real, the suffering was prolonged and acute, the agony would still bring groans and longings for ease."
When I think of my cousin Dona who recently lost her husband Gary..I am inspired by her faith.
Her suffering is her badge of honor, a consequence of loving him for all of those years,
A consequence of her commitment to him and the life and love they shared.
As Mc Guiggan put it;
"Why not, instead of seeing the pain as something to be eradicated, view it as the direct
consequence of loving well? "
Oh how I love that....
~
In terms of others feeling you should be moving on from loss he say's this;
"I continue to suffer because I cannot deny myself,
because I cannot wipe away the years, because I continue to love and long for
my husband and friend."
My cousin in her pain in loss has shown so many the power of God in us!
Shown us it's okay to want the pain to leave, to even beg God to remove it.
Most importantly she has shown us what true faith looks like in the midst
of a pain so big and so real.
She has honored God in her suffering and the lives of others will change because of it!
Someone will come to know God and or renew their walk with him because of
Dona, living with a great sadness but with a greater faith in the midst...
Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him
Job 13:15
Suffering and pain, something we all have in common...
different levels, different forms of it.
My pain is for but a short time (hopeful)...
However long, I know God has a plan.. I've something to learn here,
it's occurred to me it may even be an answer to prayer...prayer for pain you ask?
Well not for pain but Yes!
I've been wanting more quiet time, to read and grow, to hear God's voice.
Time to shusssh the world out....
I trust that time has come, and I'm thankful in the midst of my pain that this
is likely what it was going to take for me to do so.
Jim McGuiggan ends with this thought;
"Had Job known his suffering was directly related to his love for God, he would probably have
embraced it with strong joy.
But then we would have had an entirely different book,
wouldn't we? "
Good will come out of the pain....we just don't always see it at the time....
Think back on the most painful of times...can you see what grew out of that time?
So much I would be missing if I didn't have a true spiritual relationship with God.
Seek Him and find out for yourself, its what echos from my heart today.......
