What a painful memory, even after two decades! I vividly recall how I had accidentally dragged the lawnmower over my foot while cutting the lawn and hobbled across to my neighbours house for help.She took one look at my foot, bundled me into her small Golf car and rushed me to hospital.
I can still see the gruesome image of my foot perched on the dashboard while my entire body literally pounded in excruciating agony, as the raw nerve endings of my shredded toes lay helplessly exposed to the elements. It felt as though every nerve and cell in my body was on fire!
In the weeks and months that ensued I couldnt help but feel empathy towards the hundreds of thousands of people who have suffered horrific trauma at the cruel hands of others or as a result of a terrible accident. I also became intensely aware of the vast difference between thinking about and praying for the suffering of others and the reality of relating to their indescribable pain through ones own personal experience of suffering.
It does beg the question why does a loving God allow pain? What about the trauma of emotional and psychological pain as you grieve at the loss of a loved one or face the scary ordeal of a major illness or feel distressed at the hurtful betrayal of a close friend. How many times have you tried to grapple with the question of suffering, which appears to be integrally woven into the fabric of our human experience?
There are certainly more questions than answers to this most perplexing reality of our earthly pilgrimage. It is interesting to observe how agony appears to prevail over ecstasy in the lives of many of Gods servants throughout the scriptures. Yet they inspire us with strength, hope and courage even in the midst of adversity.
YOU WILL SUFFER TRIBULATION
Firstly, we need to understand that God, has not offered us a life of comfort and ease. Paul says in Acts 14:22, We must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus encourages us to view trials courageously, knowing that he too suffered during his human life. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33).
PERSEVERANCE, CHARACTER AND HOPE.
Paul expands further on this theme in Romans 5:3: but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. This gives some perspective on how your Father gathers you in his loving embrace through suffering; comforting, strengthening and transforming your life from the inside out.
KNOW YOURSELF
We read in James 1: 2 Count it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. A fierce trial will often bring critical aspects of our persona into sharp focus in a way that pleasure and comfort never can. It presents an opportunity for us to see ourselves in a totally different light, the good and the not so good facets of our nature, providing precious moments for the Holy Spirit to nudge us towards becoming more beautiful people.
Helen Keller noted character cannot be developed in ease and quiet; only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened. We also learn in 1 Peter 1: 6-7 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold which perishes even though refined by fire may be proved genuine.
Tough times, especially in relationships will often brings us face to face with the fragile state of our own ego-centric nature, prompting us to deal with the more unsavoury elements of our character, such as jealousy, greed, pride, selfishness or anger. As one unknown author aptly states; Adversity introduces a man to himself.
God often compels us to look into the mirror during a period of trial and testing, not at the outward appearance but the inner person. This is the time to yield to the transforming presence of the Holy Spirit and surrender our struggle to Christ; allowing Jesus to give us the courage to see ourselves as we really are, letting go of the old self and abiding in the freedom of his love, joy and peace, bursting with his divine nature and not our own righteousness or character, which is described by Paul as filthy rags.
COMPASSION AND EMPATHY
Paul takes us further down the path of pain in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. Renowned author Philip Yancey comments: In grief, love and pain converge. When the body suffers you suffer. Acknowledge it as a sensation of life, of love. Indeed, our own experience of pain enables us to be more sensitively attuned to the suffering of others and able to comfort them in their distress through heartfelt tears of compassion, unconditionally without feeling a need to judge.
PARTICIPATE IN THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST
Take a look at 1 Peter 4: 12 Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
I was able, to a very small degree, to relate to the suffering of Christ through the lawnmower incident. But, what about the emotional pain Jesus must have felt when he was betrayed by Judas and let down by his own disciples as well as the trauma of false accusations, rejection, hatred, violent beatings, persecution and being brutally crucified. Jesus endured the full range of afflictions many of us have undoubtedly encountered at one time or another. Indeed, our suffering enables us to share in the sufferings of Christ. Philip Yancey adds: Not even God remained exempt from pain. God joined us and fully shared our human condition, including its distress. To love means to hurt, to grieve. Pain manifests life.
UNDERSTANDING THE REALITY OF A FALLEN WORLD
God allows us to be subjected to the ebb and flow of a fallen world. The scripture tells us that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. Sure it is heartbreaking when you or a family member falls prey to evil deeds or one finds oneself in the wrong place at the wrong time in the wake of a natural disaster or accident. Yet this has a way of making us acutely aware of humanitys futile attempt to live an abundant life apart from God. This is not the world God wants or is satisfied with. Suffering in a fallen world creates within us a deep desire to eagerly look forward to the time when evil will be finally defeated and the physical, emotional and psychological scars we have accumulated on this fallen planet will be healed.
Nevertheless, it is comforting to know that God is present with us in our suffering now, moment by moment, no matter what the circumstances.
Chip Brogden noted: Our response to what happens to us is more important than what happens. Here is a mystery: one mans experience drives him to curse God, while another mans identical experience drives him to bless God. If your soul aches you may be on a journey that will stretch your faith, your understanding of the meaning of life, and your knowledge of God. If you let it, your sorrow will increase your capacity to live well, to love life, and to experience joy, not after the darkness but even in the midst of it.
An unwavering trust in your loving Father during your darkest moments, even when all logic and reason fails you, will often bring a profound sense of oneness with the Triune God, a closeness which reaches unbelievable heights, to the point where the abiding presence of Jesus becomes as real to you as your breathing and as close to you as your thoughts. The patriarch Job cried out in the midst of his pain Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.
AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Paul inspires us in the book of Romans to view pain from an eternal perspective, I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. In reality, your life on this planet is not even a speck on the huge mural that represents eternity. Yes, pain is heartrending and deeply disturbing. However, as God constantly walks with us in our present trials, we look forward to an eternal destiny beyond this present fallen age, a time when all things will be restored, described in the 21st chapter of Revelation as a time when there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.
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