What is to give light, must endure burning. Viktor Frankl
If religion has anything to give us, surely learning to deal with our pain is on that list. Unfortunately, in most churches in the West, the theme is about how to avoid pain, or worse yet, the philosophy that Jesus took our pain for us, and we need never suffer. Wow. I have a couple hundred people that would like to talk about their cancer, heart failure, diabetes, and so on.
Catherine Ingram was right on for me when she said, “The fires of suffering and loss are particularly effective in bringing out what is most genuine in us.” The symbol of the Cross and the lamb slaughtered, and yet standing, is more than a message for others. It’s for you and me. His grace is sufficient.
What’s so really good about the GOOD NEWS is that He knows, He cares, and His grace is sufficient. Besides, there’s so much for us to learn from our pain. It not only takes us outside of ourselves, looking to God for answers, it also helps us prioritize what’s really important in life. Did I mention how good it feels when you are well: right after you have been ill?
Finally there is this blow that pain deals to the ego. The invincible false self has a hard time with anything it can’t control. We even help it by calling that WHICH IS as though it ISN’T, somehow hoping it will go away just by our very need for that to happen. How about asking God what He wants you to see, learn, and appreciate from whatever troubles come your way. Once you do, then you can graduate to a more difficult problem, because the throne of grace is surrounded by numerous concentric circles where the closer you get to God, the more intense and difficult the tasks.
But, here’s the key. You simply don’t care any more, because He has become your focus, not your pain.
0 Response to “The Transition”