Responding to Pain
“I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. God promises to offer comfort to those who seek Him.” (Isaiah 41:10)
How do you respond to pain? Do you hold it in like a volcano waiting to erupt? Or do you allow it to move from your heart, oozing down the sides like flowing lava?
Hiding your pain will only harm your healing process. Instead, turn to God. It is His Light that guides our way. Seeking His path will be lit by His love. If you still choose to turn and run from Him, do you know who or what you are you running to? Most things will only provide you temporary comfort, but God will provide all you need.
Every morning, and multiple times throughout the day, I remind myself to choose God. After the loss of Leo, I could have chose to stop living. To be stuck in a moment, repeating the agony on an endless loop. And then, after the unthinkable loss of a second child, Trent, I could have chosen bitterness and anger. Yet, it was in those years that I found my joy as I drew closer to God. It was my pain that opened my eyes to His comfort and love.
In my stillness I began to have conversations with Him daily. Openly expressing my heartache. As I poured out my appreciation for the silver lining that was found within my grief, an unexplained peace fell upon me like a warm blanket of love. These honest and real moments brought me from a place of knowing about God to knowing God.
Jesus was my friend. He listened and responded to my questions, emotions and concerns. He had already felt everything I was experiencing so He was comforting me from a place of understanding. Leo’s relationship showed me how it was possible to be intimately connected to Jesus. Trent’s relationship showed me how to draw strength from Him. Together, the two of them, plus Jesus, equipped me with undeniable power of trust and confidence. Trust that it would all work out. Confidence that is was for a greater good.
When you surrender your life to God, there is a freedom that comes with it. Freedom from carrying the burden alone. An awakening of seeing that life isn’t about you, but rather what you can do to honor Him.
God’s promises hide within your pain. Peel back the layers of yourself and reveal to others how He used your pain for a greater purpose. Watch how beautifully He will work in you, and through you, to draw others closer to Him.
