Pain. A four character word that no one likes. Pain weighs us down, pain prevents us from reaching our full potential, pain wants us to go down. Or so we think.
I once heard my rather amusing cross country coach say to my that pain is weakness leaving your body. I just thought that pertained to the brutal workout we were doing that day. However, through some pain of my own, I've realized that that statement is much more than what it appears.
God allows us to have pain in our lives to make us grow in Him. That is a Sunday school answer, I know, but it's not like many of you would think.
Most Christians are taught to trust God in everything. Yes, you still should trust God, because He is perfect, powerful, etc. So when God gives you pain, He wants to develop you as a person.
Here's the thing though. Some people (myself included) just pray that God will take it away. That God will end the storm. God, thankfully, is a lot more concerned about our character than our comfort, and He will not end it unless we grow.
That begs the question: How do you grow when the waves are crashing down and the winds are howling? How do you grow in God when things are tough?
In pain, in our deepest sorrows, God's majesty and grace shine bright. In the midst of our suffering, God's grace is valued truly, because it is in the dark when we see the light. God will bring you through the pain; God will lead you in the path that He set for you. You just have to trust God that He knows where He is going with the pain and follow His lead. God won't let your foot slip, He will not "amuse" himself by allowing you to run into a tree. God will lead you down a true path, and God will refine you through the flame.
There's this verse, Romans 15:13, and it says,
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Pain isn't nice; it doesn't feel good. But it is the time when we grow the most in God. God knows where He is going. Trust in God. God will be there every step of the way; God will lead you to a better tomorrow.
