The Gift of Pain

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NLT) “Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

When I think about the word “gift”, so many thoughts flood my brain. I have memories of tearing into wrapping paper on Christmas morning, of watching the eyes of my closest friend light up when she opens a birthday present, the gift of a newborn niece/nephew being brought home from the hospital for the first time. These happy, momentous occasions are joyful and oh so memorable. But what happens when a gift comes in the form of pain? Although it’s not as easy to endure, I have found the gift of pain is often the most life-changing.

I am only 6 months shy of my 31st birthday, but the timeline of my life has been marked by numerous quaking events that, whether I realized it at the time or not, have shaped the person I am today. I am certain all of us, regardless of the number of years we’ve been on this Earth, can say the same. What’s most intriguing, and many times the least talked about, is the understanding that our heavenly Father knows every detail of our lives with a complete understanding of how each dot will be connected to the next. As my sister once described it to me, our life story is like a mosaic made up of all the moments of our lives.

Our perspective this side of heaven is small—like looking through the eye of a needle and struggling to see and understand the current season of life we’re in, much less trying to grasp just how this dot could possibly be connected to something good. At times, we have to go through the weary process of pain and suffering through the connecting of multiple dots before we are able to even begin seeing a glimpse of the beautiful image God is trying to create.

The Almighty has a great plan for each one of us. Unfortunately, the shifting and shaping of our lives by societal pressures often blurs our perspective, much the way I feel upon waking in the morning before I am able to put on my glasses. I can see, but everything is blurry. Yet, I still know how to get from my bedroom to the bathroom. Not because I know every detail, but because I have studied the layout of my home and I have walked the path daily to the point where I can trust my feet to get me to my destination.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could remember this in our daily walk with the Lord? Especially when things are heavy and hard. Study his Word. Walk with Him and place your trust in the victory that Jesus Christ secured for all of us when He died on the cross.

So, the next time we find ourselves knee deep in pain or suffering—instead of trying to see through the eye of the needle and figure it all out, my prayer is that each of us can pause and remember the amazing picture God is painting in our lives. For our good and His glory.