Finding Joy in the Pain

When we face trials, when our world caves in on us, it seems impossible that we would be able to deal with the pain and suffering that accompanies these trials. It is not easy for some. We may turn to drink, depression, overeating, over shopping, anything to alleviate the hurt. Yet and still it remains. Whoever said the time heals all wounds obviously must have suffered from a superficial cut—nothing deep that leaves a scar.

Death seems a final wound, one that will not heal because our loved one is no longer with us. I’ve suffered through the death of cousins (who died too young), aunts, uncles, my oldest sister, and recently, my nephew and my mother. Each of these has left a void in my heart, a hurt, that though is not physically manifested, rises to the surface of my consciousness when I least expect it and reopens the wound once again. Maybe not as deep as when they were inflicted, but hurtful nonetheless.

Enid M. Hall - 12/31/1922 - 8/31/2018

Yet, through it all I find myself remembering the good times, the lasting happy moments that death cannot erase and I am lifted out of my sorrow to rejoice and give thanks to God for those happy times. And it is in my rejoicing that I find peace—peace in knowing that my loved ones are safe in the loving arms of Jesus and that I will see them again. I find joy in knowing that death’s sting was not hurtful enough to drag me into despair because Jesus took the bite out of the sting when He paid the price on the cross. I have love—the love of my family and friends who are just a call, just a prayer away, waiting to lend me a shoulder to cry on when I face these sad moments; the love of God, who promised to be there for me in my time of need, the love of Christ, whose blood washes over me in my sorrow, keeping me safe and secure.

Through periods of suffering, James 5:13 reminds us to pray and if possible to sing praises. This is no easy feat for some, but for those who are in Christ, praising and worshipping Him is a salve to our wounds because it takes the focus off our problems and places us in the Holy presence of God, where our troubles can’t touch us, where we honor and pour out our love to Him to the extent of forgetting our pain. It is in that moment healing washes over us.

Yes, there is healing for our pain. It is found when we surrender to the joy of praising and worshiping God, this giving ourselves over to Him for the healing of our souls.

Read James 5:13-18

Shake Well Before Using

I was listening to a sermon preached by Pastor Tim Dilena this past Sunday at the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York. The sermon is entitled "My Pain Needs a Word".  In it he gives an analogy about reading the label on a medicine bottle, which says "shake well before using".  He went on to say, and I paraphrase, "sometimes God needs to shake us a little bit so he can use us".  What does he mean by this, you ask? I'll tell you what it means for me. 

November 2014 will mark the 10th anniversary of my being shaken up by God.  I went through a very painful situation that changed my life and shook me to the very core of my being. At the time I was left without a safety net and felt as though my whole world was crumbling. I had no way to turn and was desperately grasping at straws. I felt as if I was drowning -- literally. 

Though I was involved in church, I had just a fleeting knowledge of God and his Word. I knew I loved him; I knew I needed to follow his commands and live a life devoted to doing his will, but that was it, only knowledge. I had no feeling for his Word and no desire to do his will. That is, until November 2004. 

When I could turn neither left nor right, I only had one option: to turn to God and his Word. I grasped his Word and began the slow process of rising out of my pain and despair.  The more I read the Bible, the more I held on for dear life. His Word became my lifeline and I began to devour it to keep me floating.  I started listening to teachings on his Word; I joined a Disciple Bible Study class to learn his Word. I was already singing in a choir, however, it took on a new meaning as the words we sung spoke to my fragile heart and gave me hope that I would come through what I was going through.

God shook me up to get my attention and he succeeded. That experience could have broken me; it could have derailed my future and put a stop to my dreams.  But he wanted me to know the way I was living my life was not what he wanted from me. He had to pull the rug from under me so I would turn to him and not depend on myself or others, but solely on him.

Pastor Dilena used the following Psalms in giving his sermon and they really spoke to my heart.  Psalm 119:67, 71, and 92 state, "Before I was humbled I went astray, but now I keep your word... It is good for me that I was humbled, so that I might learn your statutes...If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my misery."  God had to shake my world and turn it upside down so I could learn his ways and follow his laws! 

Through my pain and the uncertainty of my future, I drew closer to God and learned to trust him for all my needs. I learned to call on his name in my darkest hour and watch as he came (comes) to my rescue; I learned to submit to his will for my life and allow him to use me to accomplish it; and more than anything, I learned to listen and to these words: "be still and know that I am God".

God wants to use us in mighty ways to bring glory to his name.  We are his ears, his eyes, his feet, and his pocket. We have been placed on this earth for a specific reason and he will have his way, even if it means to "shake well before using".

One of the ways God uses me is by utilizing the talents and gifts he's given me.  I love making greeting cards and I allow the Holy Spirit to inspire me to make cards that speak to those receiving them.  Today I will share a card I made for a church member who recently celebrated her 103rd birthday. I used MTC to cut the cover created by Bird from www.birdscard.com,  The background digital glitter paper is called Autumn Splendor Gold Rush and it  is from Scrapbookgraphics.com.