Don’t waste your pain. Some of you are immediately thinking, “That’s easy for you to say. You don’t know what I’m going through.” In most cases I don’t know what readers of this blog are going through, but this I do know: Life is peppered with all kinds of pain, and each of us will be touched by some kind of pain. While it is nice to confess, “Because I am a child of God, I shall live a pain-free life,” that is simply not reality.
I have no plans to preach or pontificate at this point. I simply want to say that pain can help us to become more loving and caring to others in pain. Who can better comfort a widow, than one who has walked that path? Who can better encourage a person with cancer, than one who has walked through a cancer battle? The scripture says it this way, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He 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.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3,4
Therefore:
- I refuse to waste my pain of child abuse.
- I refuse to waste my pain of being betrayed.
- I refuse to waste my pain of having a child with cancer.
- I refuse to waste my pain of Church hurt and disillusionment.
- I refuse to waste my pain of miscarriage.
- I refuse to waste my pain of a tear-stained face as I visit my son’s grave.
While I wish life was pain-free, it’s not! Loved ones die, tragedy visits, betrayal comes, but through it all, God is with us. He will bring us through it. I can’t stop pain, but I can decide to use it to comfort others, to say God will bring you through this.
No, I can’t stop pain, but I refuse to waste it!
Perfectly said…..not one word too many, not one too few. <3
Yes. So wonderful to talk to someone who can see straight into your heart. The perfect words they say, or don’t. The perfect scripture the held on to and share with you. So valuable Barb. Thanks.