Celebration and Pain 2

I never cease to be amazed by the power of the mind. I was helping my son clean out his back yard this weekend. I could do diddley squat. The slope was steep and I just couldn’t perambulate. Loving to connect with my son through work, a great saddness crept in. The loss of a connection with the guy in this world I love the most.

I had a choice: linger on the circumstances and get depressed or change my mindset. In the last post, we saw how the Philippians 4 passage shows us the healthy way to think.

1. Celebrate God for who He is and what He has done (for me).

2. Serve others.

3. Remember the big picture. Christ will return. No more pain.

In the next few verses the writer reveals even more specific mental processing.
Thus the pain of loss subsided as I brought my thoughts into captivity, beginning with praising God for all He has provided for me these 72 years.

But there was still the nerve-damaged leg and foot pain. It seems as I focus on the pain, physical and emotional, the hurting becomes more intense. Celebatng God seems to be somewhat of a “spiritual narcotic,” in that though the pain is still there, the magnitude lessens.

Second Corinthians 6:10 wraps this up this pain dilemna neatly: “Our hearts ache, yet we have the joy of the Lord.” Pain is inevitable, but I believe in the sovereignty of God and He promised to work all for my best and His glory. For that there is joy.

There can be value in pain. For me, the last six months has seen much needed character growth evolve out of the accident. Have you seen the value of your pain? How are you doing celebrating God? I hope you’ll join me in making that a more consistesnt exercise.