Pain Holds a Purpose

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the Glory which shall be revealed to us." Romans 8:18

 

 

So many times you hear people say things like:

• "Why does GOD allow bad things to happen to good people?"
• "How could GOD allow innocent people to get hurt/die?"
• "Why does GOD allow such PAIN?"

I have heard it dozens of times and I too have questioned God as well.

At a very very young age I witnessed my mother getting beaten by those who claimed to love her. I hid behind furniture crying in desperation and begging God to make it all stop. It didn't stop. I saw hospitals, jails, guns and blood. I saw abuse, hurt and drunkenness.

I heard screaming, shouting, and begging..my own included. 

I could smell the drugs from the other end of the house..and the beer that saturated the carpet. The smell reeked when talking to an unreasonable and ridiculous adult always made me sick to my stomach.

Many nights I cried feverishly asking God "WHY?"

"What did I do?"

"Why did He dislike me?"

"How much PAIN did one have to go through?"

 

We live in a broken world. Full of Pain. Some Pain we have caused ourselves by bad decisions and like me as a child some Pain we were just handed.

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After my marathon this past Sunday I knew I had to keep going...

Monday was not going to be a rest day for me. I had to endure the PAIN for progress. I had to Feel the PAIN as part of my training Plan.

I have a goal to run a 50 mile race in September. In order to do this you have to get acclimated to Pain: to soften the blow.

 

PAIN AS A PLAN:

I know that GOD had a Plan for me as far back as a child. His word says:

He will NOT GIVE YOU MORE THAN YOU CAN HANDLE. He knew as a child I was going to get through that mess. He had a plan for me to use that as my testimony, to Honor and Glorify him. He was not finished with me yet.

God did not design us to be complacent and stagnant. We should always have a plan and not let our Pain give us an excuse for anything BUT drawing growth.

Every flower has to go through a little dirt to bloom.
God can use the Pain we caused and the Pain we didn't.

 

"Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord hand upholdeth him with his hand." Psalms 37:24

 

My quads were so sore that every time my foot hit the pavement it almost took my breath away on Monday after my marathon.  The pain made me reach out to Him. He knows the desires of my heart. God has kept me injury free this week and every run has gotten so much better. The first marathon I ever ran I could not run for 2 weeks without wincing.

There is a greater purpose to my pain. I have to know what Pain Feels like to Progress. I have to let that Pain drive me, not just accepting it...but almost embracing it.

That Pain is going to make me better.
Living this Life is the ultimate training plan...There are times it is going to hurt..but we can use that pain for the greater good. We can use our pain as a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block.

 

Pain will make you  Better.

"Life will make you bitter or Life will make you Better."

 

Stuffing our feelings down or numbing our pain with drugs or alcohol will not heal you. It hurts to hurt. That gut wrenching, breathtaking pain that never seems like it is going to end..it will. The pain comes in waves, sometimes crashing down on us and knocking our teeth out...But the waters will recede and there is hope.

You can use that Pain for a Greater Purpose.

That is the Challenge..To have the courage to Feel the Pain...Raw. Honest. Unleashed Pain.

Then to embrace it to Its Greater Good.. To use it to fuel you to Joy Immeasurable.

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RUNDOWN:

Indian Springs;

Distance: 7 miles

Time 1:20

I had the privilege of coaching 2 girls today. It was awesome to see them push their minds and bodies to greatness.

 

It was another Great Summer Day.

Anita