We’ve all experienced at least one or more of the following events in our life which caused pain:

-death of a loved one (family, friend, spouse etc.)  -divorce     -loss of a job     -loss of money or financial problems

-marriage problems     -job issues     -disappointment     -physical and/or mental trauma     -disease or sickness 

-heartbreak     -loss of a pet     -abuse (physical, mental, neglect)    -words

They hurt. Sometimes more than words can say; sometimes a permanent scar was left never to be shaken or covered. It hurts, very bad to say the least and why? Various reasons.  Have you ever thought that pain can serve a good purpose? Have you ever thought pain can shed light on the things unseen or on the root of a deeper issue? No one likes to go through it true, but we do know it’s coming. We should be ready but as always, it catches us by surprise. We know our loved ones are going to die yet we are still “shocked” when it happens, disbelief. We know our words can hurt others and cause pain yet we continue to spew out negative-discouraging statements/words. We know heartbreak, let downs and failures are coming yet they still cause us great pain. We use various ways to cope with pain from substance abuse, marriage or spouse abuse, physical abuse and more. Yet it’s rare we see pain as a positive rather than a negative. Well, for my blog tonight, let’s focus on both types of pain. There is (1) Physical pain whereas someone has harmed our body. These scars and wounds are often seen and have a story behind; sometimes can be hard to hide. Then there’s the (2) Mental pain, which hurts our spirit and rarely do we see or even know about this type of pain. It’s often unseen, hidden in the deep pockets of our mind and heart, it causes pressure on the inside only to exit in an explosive manner. Both of these are linked together and I feel you can’t have one without the other. If you disagree, explain it to the couple who’s been married 50 years, one passes away and the other eventually becomes sick and passes a month later.

1–Physical Pain:

Pain: noun

1.

physical suffering or distress, as due to injury, illness, etc.
2.

a distressing sensation in a particular part of the body: a back pain.
3.

mental or emotional suffering or torment:
Which one have you experienced lately? What part of the body has produced pain in your life? Did you know pain can be a good thing? Case in Point: I fall and break my leg. There’s great pain with a break however, the pain is showing-in most cases, where the break is located. (2)  I get a bee sting on my arm. The pain locates where the sting is therefore applying medicine is pretty evident.  Have you ever thought about how good it is that the pain pinpoints where it is? Therefore medicine or proper care can be given to the right place at the right time? Let’s take a look at some of the people who felt pain in the Bible.
1.  Paul.  Wow, what can we say about Paul other than wow. This is a disciple who spent about 3/4 of his time in prison, being beat, spit upon, stoned and treated terribly. Yet through all his pain, look at what Paul says.
II Corinthians 11:24-28 says: 
24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
Now, I don’t know about you but that’s some terrible stuff-yet he still found time within the pain, suffering and all that was going on, to praise God. So after all of this, he goes on to say in the verses beyond, he will glorify the infirmities of his life to glorify God. What did the pain do that was good for Peter?
1.  Restoration to God
2. Closer relationship to God
3. Kept his eyes focused on God
4. Reminded him of who he was suffering for and why
5. Reminder of who he was in Christ and how he could handle any and all afflictions through Christ.
2) Peter. Peter’s pain was a huge spiritual downfall as he denied Christ 3 times during His crucifixion. Peter, a man who stood up to the Roman soldier with reckless abandonment, chopping off the ear of the soldier-now denying Christ. Upon the 3 time, Peter knew he had failed Christ and his pain was relentless. Christ gave Peter the chance of restoration and redemption at the Sea of Galilee as Christ asked Peter if he loved Him (Christ) 3 times; each representing the denial.
1. Removed his confidence in himself
2. Removed his strength in himself
3. Removed his self reliance on himself
4. Caused dependency on Christ and Christ alone
5. Created humility within him through Christ
(See a pattern here in the first 3? Himself. We can’t turn pain into a good thing if we ourselves try to handle it; we must turn it over to God and allow Him to help us through it and see the positive.)
3.) Ruth.  Ruth was a woman of great passion and nature. Ruth learned how to serve and was loyal to Naomi and Boaz. She did what she could, living out her convictions knowing the repercussions would be torture and/or death. Yet Ruth withstood the pain of gleaning in the fields, waiting for the time to speak with Boaz about her people and because of her faithfulness to God, she grew in Godliness.
Ruth 1:16-18 describes a pain she had to endure:

16 “But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.”

It pained Ruth to have to leave her mother, Naomi. So, she insisted and was “determined” to go with her mother instead of leaving her for another life. Ruth was so loyal to her mother, it was more painful to leave her than it was to stay. How many times in our life have we left only to have been followed by great pain for doing so? Did we ever stop and think it may have been for a reason?

Just with these few examples, can we realize the degree of pain they experienced yet still found God in the midst of it all. They even took it a step further by finding the positive in the middle of all the pain and despair. So my question is this, what do you do with your pain? Do you hold onto it, let it fester in your life, rule your life and everything/everyone in it? Do you find the positive in only what you want to find or do you invest your time and efforts in finding the positive in it all?

I’m not saying pain is easy or sometimes even manageable but what I am saying is God is bigger than any problem or pain you can ever imagine. See, God endured the ultimate pain, sacrifice to save our life-knowing we would turn our back on Him, spit on Him and even deny Him. (Yet we question them so many times or ask the question “how” can someone do that? Don’t we??)

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,t whenever you face trials of many kinds,3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

Sometimes pain is brought into our lives due to circumstances beyond our control. Sometimes pain is brought about due to our own fault or reason. Yet sometimes pain is brought into our lives to show us a place which needs attention; pride, lust, envy etc. Sometimes pain is brought into our lives to strengthen us and make us stronger so that we can share our story of triumph through Christ with others; our story if you will. Our perception of the pain we experience is very important and vital to how we recover. We must remember that God will protect us and deliver us from it and if we don’t look to God for answers, the pain will be in vain. No matter what you’re going through in your life, try to find the good in it. You have to make the effort and look for it though, it’s not going to “come to you,” God will reveal it if you truly trust and believe in Him. I know this blog is a little longer than my usual but I feel someone who’s going to read this will benefit. I feel I’m writing this not only for them, but for the others out there who are struggling right now with the painful situations in their lives. If that’s you, please give it to God and allow Him to take it from you. Nothing can fill that void in your life but Christ Jesus. Christ tells us in Hebrews what Pain produces; is it producing a harvest and peace in your? Maybe a new perception can help change it all.. Time for a change don’t you think??

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Hebrews 12:11