Enduring Pain

“If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.” (Psalm 34:18 MSG)

Faith does not guarantee a problem-free life. Neither does it act like an anesthetic against pain. Most of the spiritual giants whom I have met have all suffered greatly. Here are some things I have learned from talking to several of them:

--Everyone reaches a point in their lives when they realize how powerless they really are. When we are at our wits’ end, when we are completely helpless, when we have exhausted all our resources--some of us turn to God.

--Those who recognize God’s presence and trust Him seem to be able to endure pain better than those who do not.

--Those who are totally dependent and submitted to God enjoy a sense of  freedom. They cease striving. They have the ability to remain peaceful even when it makes no earthly sense.

God is always present. Yet, we rarely pay attention to Him when we feel a sense of control over our lives. But when our heart is broken, when we have nothing and no one left to turn to, when we are kicked in the gut and can’t breathe--then we are more likely to focus on God. This is just the beginning of our faith journey. We are led by the Spirit. Our ego shrinks daily. With each step, we learn to trust, submit, surrender, and obey better. We release everything to God in prayer. Peace and gratitude replace anxiety and fear.  Our endurance and strength steadily increase as we learn to depend less on our own sufficiency and rely more and more God.

When we realize our powerlessness, may we learn to completely depend on God. May the Spirit lead us to peace, endurance, strength, gratitude, and joy.