Living With Pain
When you live your life and every day involves pain, physical excruciating pain, some might say that isn’t much of a life. I have been told God would not want me to live with pain and, with faith, should ask and expect God to heal me. I do believe that God desires that I have a fulfilled life with joy and His blessings. But I do live in a fallen world, not heaven. Paul says that he asked God to remove a thorn or suffering from his life (2 Corinthians 12) and God responded that His grace was enough for Paul to be able to live with this thorn. Jesus said that unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed but if it dies it produces many seeds (John 12). Those two passages, set in the context of the Bible, speak to me about giving up my way, even to the point of joining Jesus in suffering, so that God can use my life as He sees an abundant harvest.
The truth about living with pain is that every day is different.
The truth is some days are better than others.
The truth is people can come into my life and bring great joy and friendship and love. A simple thing like a text from my child or a Skype call from my grandchild can lessen physical pain. Making the choice to read a book that encourages or listen to a song that soothes and uplifts can express the pain and bring it down to proper perspective.
As a disciple of Jesus Christ I believe that I am here for a purpose, a mission. God wasn’t thrown off His plan for me by illness. I still have opportunities to be used for Him. I may just have to open my mind to options and be willing to be flexible. My father-in-law used email to minister God’s wisdom and encouragement to others even though he was confined to his home the last ten years of his life. He did not stop being a missionary because he stopped being physically independent.
I continue to ask God to heal and relieve my pain. I rejoice that I have found great comfort in knowing that Jesus knows my pain and has faithfully forgiven and relieved many sinful burdens. He has also shown how He can use me today, just where I am. And if every day of my time here involves pain, I live victoriously because I do not carry the pain alone. In fact, I am carried by my LORD and Savior who is always strong even when I am weak. Today is a good day.