I’ve been looking for definitions for the word “pain” and have come up with one that I think is close. Pain is an alarm clock that tells us it is time to seek God. We hate it. We would rather live without disappointment, failure, heartache, calamity and disease. Why then does it happen? Why does it sometimes happen even while we are seeking God?

I can’t pretend to have the answers. All I can say is that in my own moments of intense pain, I have been reminded of the fact that I cannot do life on my own. I need God. I am literally hopeless without Him. Pain has a way of putting things in perspective. One day you have all these friends backing you up – you meet up with your girlfriends, or in the case of one such as myself, guy friends, every week, but suddenly something happens and they no longer seem to be there. People grow and move on and some cut each other off. One day you have a job, the next, you don’t. So on.

In my life and yours, there will be certain “rest stops” where we realize that our sufficiencies are inadequate and only grace can carry us through. The lessons learned at such times are seeds sown towards our eternal destiny. They build our character and in so doing, enable us to be more effective at kingdom business, most importantly the Great Commission.

If you’re going through pain or just wondering why things are happening, try to adjust your attitude and focus remember that God may just be refining you. The devil may not know it, but in many ways he fulfills God’s purposes while thinking he is causing destruction. God turns evil around for  good. Be thankful in all things and refuse to become angry at Him for allowing things to happen in ways you don’t agree with.

We can’t see the future right now, and sometimes I think that’s a wonderful thing. Even prophecies are given in part according to 1 Corinthians 13. One day, we’ll know it all. Right now, why not learn from the pain and find joy deep within it? You might be surprised to find that in the moments of the most intense pain, God’s light and love has a way of shining through more brightly. The darker the darkness, the more visible the light.

This is a short one, but it’s from the heart and I wish you a happy and blessed month.

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