Pain Has Purpose
My boys just had their six month visit to the dentist. The news after their examination wasn't fun. Both boys had cavities. I took them back to get their cavities filled. Thankfully, it was easy and painless for them. Numbing medication is a life saver.
We had to wait about 10 minutes for my son's mouth to become numb. During that period, he had to have a cotton roll inserted into the side of his mouth. I asked the doctor, "What is that for?" The dentist told me, while his mouth is going numb, kids have the tendency to bite their lip or cheek. It feels weird to them so they start nipping at it. Because there isn't any pain, they can literally chew through their lip. He told me a story about how it has happened in the past. Sure enough I saw my own son start to bite on his lip.
It was at that moment it became clear, pain has purpose. Pain allows us to have a present awareness of danger that is around us. It alerts us to an impending injury. If we couldn't experience pain we wouldn't know we were "chewing through our lip".
How far will we know we can go if we don't allow the process of pain to stretch and refine us? The freedom of being able to experience and embrace pain with God is far more comforting than going through painful situations without Him. God offers enough grace and sustaining power to carry us through any and ALL storms.
God declares in His word:
We had to wait about 10 minutes for my son's mouth to become numb. During that period, he had to have a cotton roll inserted into the side of his mouth. I asked the doctor, "What is that for?" The dentist told me, while his mouth is going numb, kids have the tendency to bite their lip or cheek. It feels weird to them so they start nipping at it. Because there isn't any pain, they can literally chew through their lip. He told me a story about how it has happened in the past. Sure enough I saw my own son start to bite on his lip.
It was at that moment it became clear, pain has purpose. Pain allows us to have a present awareness of danger that is around us. It alerts us to an impending injury. If we couldn't experience pain we wouldn't know we were "chewing through our lip".
Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.
~Lance Armstrong
On a spiritual level, pain pulls God's greatness out of us.
How far will we know we can go if we don't allow the process of pain to stretch and refine us? The freedom of being able to experience and embrace pain with God is far more comforting than going through painful situations without Him. God offers enough grace and sustaining power to carry us through any and ALL storms.
The good news, pain is temporary.
God declares in His word:
He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:4 NLT)
A prayer for pain filled hearts:
God please help us embrace and experience the pain that has come our way. Thank you for this refining process. Reveal to us Your strength. Give us a constant awareness of Your presence. We know You are in complete control (sovereign). Your plans for our life are for good and not to harm us. Thank you Lord that pain won't last always. Amen! (Posted by Roslyn)
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