VACATION BLUES While in the middle of a much needed time of resting and recharging, I experienced the first ever root canal and crown of my life. It all began with a little pain, followed my more pain, followed by greater pain and a swelling in my cheek that made me feel like one of the Alvins Chipmunks. After a lot of complaining, whining and avoiding, I eventually made the trip to the dentist. It soon became clear that I had a bad abscess in the root of my back molar; hence the welling and pain. It is an abscess in the actual bone. There is always a lesson to be learned, right? 1. In life there are pain and interruptions. DEAL WITH IT. Instead of being frustrated and consumed with the pain or interruptions that happen, why not just deal with it? Why not, in fact, embrace it? The longer I waited, the more pain I had to deal with. YOU EITHER DEAL WITH THE PAIN, OR IT WILL DEAL WITH YOU. Once the antibiotic kicked in, I was better. If I had dealt with it sooner, I would have felt better sooner. It may sound stupid, and as much as I hesitate to even make the comparison between real life and just a few days of dealing with dental nightmares, I am going to do it. Life is too short, God is too good and you matter too much to allow interruptions to discourage and distract you from your faith. Deal with it. Embrace it. This too (or in my case, tooth) shall pass. 2. Pain is temporary: God is eternal. FOCUS ON IT. Anyone who has experienced severe pain knows that it CONSUMES your heart, your mind and your schedule. It is all you can think about. I ended up having four different appointments over the course of the week. Its easy at this point to focus on what isnt good, and what will be paiinful, and what it will cost you; but you will never experience the other side of health and blessing (Gods best for you) unless and until you decide to walk out the stuff you didnt plan. I have seen so many people decide faith and Jesus arent for them because of an interruption, or because of pain or because things dont add up. How much of God do we miss because instead of focusing on what is eternal, we focus on what is comfortable and convenient? God will use your pain. God can make what is painful useful, if you will trust Him with it. FAITH THAT DOESNT COST YOU SOMETHING IS WORTH NOTHING. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and wont last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we dont look at the troubles we can see now, rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. How often do we want to give up? How many times do we feel like quitting? How many moments do we miss seeing God because we are focused on what isnt good? The truth is, life happens. Pain happens. Trials happen. Suffering happens. Dont give up, friends. Fix your eyes on what you cannot see, on what you hope and long for. The pain of today will one day be replaced by peace for all of eternity. I couldnt change the infection, and I couldnt change what had to happen, but one thing I could control was how I responded to it. Whatever you are walking through at the moment, know this: God is in perfect control. He can see what we cant, and will get us through these seasons. Those who have a relationship with Jesus can count on the knowledge that one day you will walk from this pain and uncertainty into the ultimate Promised Land. There will be no weeping or cancer or heart disease or divorce or betrayal or pain. God is not absent. Just the opposite, He is always present. Dont quit. He is never closer than we are in the moments of painful interruption. PRAYER Take some time to ask God what situations in your life you may have been running from and not dealing with. Pray that God will give you the strength and courage to not give up but to trust Him through the pain, knowing that one day He will use it for good. Ask Him now to replace the fear and worry you are feeling with His perfect peace.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 14:15:04 +0000
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