Confessions of an Ex-Pain Hoarder by Sarah Aitken Sometimes pain can’t be avoided in life. Maybe it’s a failed relationship, sickness we can’t seem to get past, the sudden death of a dear one or dreams that fail. All excruciating -- none of which we purposely choose. Sometimes pain happens because we’re careless with our choices or we live undisciplined lives or we’re outright disobedient. Whatever the path we took to arrive at our pain isn’t really the point. The point is what we do with it once we find ourselves there because whether pain found us or we found pain, what we do with it is always our choice. I used to be a pain hoarder. I thought if I had pain in my life it must always certainly be my fault and so I needed to just “man up” and take it. Thankfully, God has done a great work in my heart on this subject. What I believe now to be true about an infinitely merciful God is that he wants me to grow from it -- no matter how I arrived at it -- and then in turn minister hope to others going through pain, too. This is what the Word says about this God of ours regarding pain: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (I Corinthians1:3-4). By submitting myself to God -- even in my pain -- I take the focus off of me, me, me and become a conduit for the hope and rescue of God’s comfort not only in my own life but someone else’s, as well. It’s amazing how quickly relief comes to me when I recognize that God’s not okay with my pain but like everything else in life, he uses it ultimately for my good, if I will let him. (Romans 8:28). We have been created to be God’s ambassadors first to other believers and then to a fallen world, who are separated from God through the pain of sin. Let us not take our pain and use it as an excuse to live with less than God’s best but rather to live well and usher others into the knowledge of the goodness of our God, too. You’re loved, Saints!
Posted on: Wed, 28 May 2014 16:00:00 +0000
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