I FEEL YOUR PAIN
Surely you have seen a cartoon of some man unexpectedly stepping on the edge of a rake which catapulted the handle into a direct and painful impact with his face. Funny.
What an idiot! Well, it happened to me this week.
I was the idiot trying to finish some yardwork before an approaching storm. My wife let the dog out of the house for the same reason. Finish your business before the rain keeps you inside for the night.
Jada trotted over with wagging tail, big eyes pleading for attention. Carrying a tennis ball in her mouth, she signaled it was time for a spirited game of fetch.
Unable to resist her charm, I paused my dirt work for some playtime. I leaned the shovel and the rake against the fence. Let the game begin!
I threw the ball. Jada quickly retrieved it. We would wrestle over the ball before the next fetch attempt. In one of the wilder moments, the dog knocked over the gardening tools.
I picked up the shovel and leaned it back against the fence as Jada returned for another round of how to agitate your owner.
I took a confident step to grab the ball. Unfortunately, as I turned around, I did not notice the rake lying in wait, perfectly camouflaged with the grass.
As if by divine design, my foot landed squarely on the teeth of the rake. In a split second, the handle rocketed upwards as if powered by a hydraulic jackhammer, smacking me right in the face with a “whack!”
Startled and dazed, I staggered backwards, seeing stars. I bumped into the shovel leaning precariously against the fence. Like a slapstick symphony, I grabbed the shovel to gain my balance. As I fell helplessly to the ground, the shovel swung down and gave me a second, perfectly timed bonk on the other side of my face.
Somewhere, a neighbor has already submitted the security images of this entire incident to America’s Funniest Videos TV show. Rubbing my sore cheeks and blinking in confusion, I looked up to see my dog standing over me with the ball in her mouth. She was mocking my pain.
The dog knew I could not blame her. My wife has given her what every husband longs for–absolute immunity!
There have been quite a few times in life that I did not see the pain coming right before the storm broke over my head.
It might not be stepping on a rake or falling off a ladder, but we all experience unexpected and seemingly unfair blows which leave us feeling hurt, confused, and even mocked.
PAIN COMES TO US ALL. Physical. Emotional. Social. Spiritual. It usually surprises us.
How do you deal with the pain? And the person responsible for your pain?
How do you handle the pain when it introduces stormy conditions which trouble and darken the soul?
I encourage you to live with your EYES UP!
This is where I find my help, my healing, and mt hope. This is where I see the blessings in the storm and wait for the purpose of the pain.
Here are some priceless painful lessons from the #1 Textbook.
- GOD IS ALWAYS IN CONTROL … OF EVERYTHING.
Whatever God sends or allows, it has passed through His hands. Nothing touches me without that assurance from my Heavenly Father. When the pain happens, God approved it. When the storm comes, God will use it.
I will probably be like Job who never understood why all these things happened to him, but God did (Job 2:3-6). Hopefully, I will have the faith of Job to realize that our God created and controls this universe (Job 1: 21 and 2:10).
My pain is no accident to God who orders the steps of my life, even the foolish step onto a rake!
The rake in the face is symbolic of much that happens in this life. Life is messed up. It is full of shocks and surprises. We get slapped in the face. We get poked in the eye. We get tripped up over trivial things. We get hurt over seemingly avoidable situations.
However, this truth holds firm. Before any trial ever reaches me, it must first pass through God. Everything I endure must go through the hands of my God who is always wise, right, and good in all He does. Everything…. EVERYTHING!
I do not walk and stumble through this life alone. Neither do you. Never alone. Never forgotten. Never without divine power and purpose.
That leads to the second confident reason to expect help, healing, and hope in my moments of pain and stormy darkness of circumstances.
2. EVERYTHING HAS A DIVINE PURPOSE … EVERYTHING!
There is a purposeful plan to any and all pain, no matter how little or how large.
God is preparing me to live and love like Jesus so I can love others first and most in their moments of pain and stress.
My struggle is not meaningless. Note how God used my stupid rake collision to be the genesis of my note of prayer and encouragement to you. I do not know all your suffering, but God does. I do know that many of you are struggling with unbelievable pain at this time. Many are experiencing emotional pain far greater than physical.
YOUR CURRENT STRUGGLE IS NOT MEANINGLESS. IT IS PURPOSEFUL PAIN.
No, it is not preferable pain, but that was not left to your choice. God planned it with a purpose.
Most pain comes unannounced. Its presence is unwelcomed. It hurts. The pain can be long-lasting or reoccurring. Its severity can range from mild to unbearable. It can leave scars. We did not ask for the pain.
We can fear pain, but we cannot prevent it. We can hate it, but we cannot hide from it. We can cry about it, but we cannot stop it. You can live with pain, but you cannot live without it.
Every relationship suffers pain. It might come from spoken or unspoken words. It might be experienced through disappointment of your expectations or loss of their presence.
No one is exempt from PAIN or its PURPOSE.
How do we learn to love without being around someone who is difficult to love? How do we learn to care without being with someone who needs care? How do we learn to heal without having been hurt? How do we learn to forgive without having been mistreated?
We have a Heavenly Father who understands the value of painful experiences.
God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is so we can comfort others. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)
Every pain has been purposed for greater good to you and to others.
How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them. Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails. He causes us to remember his wonderful works. How gracious and merciful is our Lord! (Psalm 111:2-4)
I close with the exhortation I quote so often: EYES UP!
Ye fearful saints fresh courage take
The clouds you so much dread
Are big with mercy and soon shall break
In blessings on your head
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform
He plants His Footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm
Deep in unsearchable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright Design
And works His sovereign Will
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense
But trust Him for His Grace
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face
His purposes will ripen fast
Unfolding every hour
The bud may have a bitter taste
But sweet will be the flower
Oh fearful saints fresh courage take
The clouds you so much dread
Are big with mercy and soon shall break
In blessings on your head — (William Cowper)
I pray God’s blessings fall on you soon and abundantly! EYES UP!
LOVE FIRST...LOVE MOST 