Keep Pressing On Through The Pain

Pain comes in so many different forms- physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. We face so many challenges throughout each day that we can feel completely overwhelmed. Some days, we are able to overcome these obstacles and continue to move forward. Other days, misery hits us and we can become consumed by it. No matter what we come up against in our daily lives- God will give us a way out. He throws us a life saver. Although we may not grab a hold of it right away, He never pulls it back. He lets it float there until we decide we want Him to save us. Sometimes, we feel like we are drowning and we just can’t reach Him on our own. This is where His mercy, love and compassion become even more present. (But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Psalm 86:15) God sends us other people to encourage us and help us make our way to the life boat. The amazing thing about our God is that no matter what we go through, no matter how many times we fall short, quit or mess up- He wants us to be saved. His arms are always open for us to be embraced by His everlasting love.

Even when the pain we are going through is due to a decision that we made, possibly even knowing that it would hurt us, He wants to allow us to learn from it but also heal us from it. He is not a God that will throw our mistakes in front of us. He forgives and then He forgets. (“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” Isaiah 43:25) You are not defined by your sins. Some of your pain may be a consequence to sin- but that doesn’t make you who you are. We live in a fallen world- what we choose to do directly correlates with how we feel on the inside and on the outside. We can’t expect a good result to come from a wrong decision. What we can expect is that God will always heal us and be with us. (Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9)

God wants us to give everything to Him. Our good days, our bad days- our victories and our failures. The good, the bad and the ugly. He wants it ALL. Nothing is too ugly for Him to rebuild and make beautiful. Nothing is so bad that He can’t take it and turn it into something good. And He wants us to recognize and praise Him during the good times. We tend to get comfortable when our lives are going smoothly and push aside our gratefulness towards Him. We need Him just as much during the good times as we do during the hard times. During the good times, we have different tests than we do when times are rough. When we feel good, we can slip into a lazy and almost careless attitude. Being thankful and grateful continually will keep us focused on Him and realize that today we may have it good, but tomorrow may be different and no matter what we trust Him through it all. (“The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.” Exodus 15:3) During the bad times, we get tempted to be angry and distant from Him. We need to remember He does not cause us trouble- the enemy does, other people do, this world does. He is there in every trial, watching us and holding us. We’re the ones that lose sight of that. Our feelings can really get us into some trouble. Feelings are a gift when we learn how to discern them. If we do not connect our feelings with God, we will misuse and misunderstand them very often. Some of us are sensitive to the feelings of others. If we do not separate how we feel with how someone else feels, we will take on burdens that are not ours- as far as feelings from burdens. We are to carry each other’s burdens but not harbor each other’s pain emotionally. This can be very difficult.

No matter what form of pain you are currently experiencing- or maybe even all of them, you are not alone. God has a way for you to escape the schemes of the enemy. We are the ones who have to look for Him through all of the noise and reach towards Him. He never, ever leaves us. We lose sight of Him. (“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:2) Our worries are not from God. He wants to us to be peaceful and joyful- the enemy comes to rob us of that. If he can steal those qualities from us, he knows he can pull our focus away from God. How can we fight against this plot? Being grateful, remaining thankful and fighting through the pain we endure knowing that our God is holding us. Of course we will go through hard times- we are on earth where the enemy prowls around. But nothing that the enemy tries to do to us can keep us from God or His love. (“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3) Nothing. God’s love is everlasting and cannot be destroyed. Remember that you are a child of God, a son or daughter of the Most High- absolutely loved by the Creator of the Universe. Our pain is temporary but His love for us will never fade.