Pain

Having spent the bulk of my vocational life in counseling, I’m well acquainted with other people’s pain. And like all of us, I’ve experienced my share. We’re not to seek out pain. That would be masochistic. But to see the value of hurting is our challenge. (I wonder if bronc and bull riders are masochistic :-)

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. (James 1:2-5).

I like Os Hillman's perspective. “God often allows pain to ignite destiny in our lives. Without motivation, many of us would never fulfill the purposes for which God created us. Oftentimes a measured assault invades our life and creates a depth of pain that all we know to do is press into God with all our being.

“At first, our motivation is to alleviate the pain. After a season of extreme emotional and sometimes physical pain, a second phase begins. This phase moves us to discover a new and deeper relationship with God. We begin to discover things about ourselves and about God that we never would have discovered without this motivation. Gradually, our heart changes our motivation from pain to loving obedience because there is a transition of the heart that takes place. No longer do we seek God for deliverance from the pain; we seek God because He is God. We seek His face and not His hand.

“When we move to the second phase we often find ourselves moving into a new destiny and calling for our lives because God often separates us from the old life in this process. No doubt Joseph and Peter felt the pain of their individual crises. However, later they could realize God's purposes in their crisis. Like Joseph, we are able to say, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good."

From a place of pain to the place of destiny, allow God to show us the value of the pain we are or have experienced. Whether the hurt is self-induced or other’s prompted, our focus is “God, what do you want me to learn – how do you want to use this in my life for my maturation?”