Skip to main content

Pain? No, thank you.

From Eric Corbin... Our devotional today speaks of Francis of Assisi and the pain of his life -- physical and otherwise. Haverkamp writes “For Francis, a life of painful struggle was the truest way to live life close to Christ."  She goes on to say “I admit I have trouble understanding this.”  I'm with her.  The expression “No pain, no gain" does not often cross my lips.  The times of my life with the most pain (severe back injury, for example) have not brought me closer to Christ, unless we count anguished prayers of “Dear Lord, make it stop!”  Hmmmm....maybe we should!  I think, too, about times of pain that is not physical, and how my prayer life has indeed strengthened.

There was a persecuted Romanian pastor who said, “In my experience, 95 percent of the believers who face the test of persecution pass it, while 95 percent who face the test of prosperity fail it.”1

Hosea 13:6 puts it like this: “When I [God] fed them, they were satisfied; and their hearts became proud; therefore, they forgot me.”

Perhaps in our times of pain (discomfort?  challenge?) it is easier to recognize our total dependence on God.  I still don't know about seeking out pain, but I do think we shouldn't be so pain-avoidant.  Life isn't all about comfort.  We gain solidarity with others when we experience their pain, and we grow closer to God when we reach out to God in the midst of pain.

Have you felt a closer connection to God and others in the midst of pain?


1 Money, Possessions, and Eternity, by Randy Alcorn, page 46.

Comments

  1. Kena JoMarch 1, 2018 at 8:21 PM

    As I was glancing through one of the books by my favorite author, Jan Karon (The Father Tim series), I found the following quote that is credited to Oswald Chambers:
    "At times God puts us through the discipline of darkness to teach us to heed Him. Song birds are taught to sing in the dark, and we are put into the shadow of God's hand until we learn to hear Him... Watch where God puts you into darkness, and when you are there keep your mouth shut. Are you in the dark just now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? Then remain quiet.... When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for somone else when you get into the light". (Found in "In This Mountain" by Jan Karon 2002, pg 178).
    So..... we might be in difficulty now, in order to be of service/comfort to someone else later? A thought that is somewhat scary yet comforting at the same time. I have experienced some of the comforting with two different Stephen ministers the past few years. Even though I hadn't told Pastor Chuck full details, he put me in contact with people who understood exactly what I and my family were going through, because of the experiences they have had to deal with. I also am dimly aware that some of my complusion to reach out to others, whether the person is a stressed out student, a young adult trying to make ends meet, a parent who has a son in trouble, might be because of the experiences I have had throughout my life. It would be nice to think so, but I don't know.
    The scary part is looking ahead - what other experiences may I and my family encounter? What will I be expected to do then? Will God be there? Is God here now? I hate looking ahead, for like most of us I don't want to go looking for trouble. Yet the good and the bad will eventually come regardless of what I want or don't want. Just gotta hang in there! :)
    Namaste

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holy Saturday

From Rachel Matthews - Today I have been chopping, measuring, mixing, cooking, mixing some more, kneading, baking, waiting, waiting, tasting, arranging, cleaning, preparing.....and preparing....for guests. It is what you do at a funeral. Either you are preparing to serve and comfort the bereaved or, as the bereaved, you are preparing to receive the community, the family, the loved ones to walk with you to the grave and back again. Holy Saturday feels like the days before a funeral. Suspended between death and life, you just carry on. You work, as usual, but not. That's what the women who loved the Rabbi were doing: preparing the spices, arranging the body (Christ's body), wrapping, loving and weeping, and waiting, and waiting and preparing....for guests. I am giddy thinking about the surprise that awaited them - the Guest!! And, I am giddy waiting for our guests to come to our home. My boys won't be here, so there is grief. I miss them so much. But, the new Amer...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thoughts on Lent and Deuteronomy

From David Bauer: Holy Solitude We learn a variety of ways that help us find solitude: fasting for a set time, changing a daily schedule, time out to be alone. In college I discovered there were times I did my best study by going to the busy student union. In the midst of the hubbub, I found meaningful inner space that helped me focus. In retirement I often get up at 5:00 a.m. to engage in biblical and theological study. I may ask myself: how does this idea or view help me better understand my faith? Why? Ok. Recently. I asked myself, who was King Josiah? (My dad used to talk about his Uncle Josiah who lived in Taylorville). King Josiah was said to be a good king among many who were not good in the time after King David and King Solomon. Yes, people went through the rituals of religion but had little heart or understanding. Selfish and idolatrous behavior was all over the place. Anyway, King Josiah decided to have a fund drive to raise money to repair the temple in Jerusalem. Work...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sound of Sheer Silence

If you google "Sound of sheer silence" you will find our passage for today. Today’s scripture is 1 Kings 19:11-13. The passage is set after Elijah had killed the prophets of Baal then fled for 40 days in the desert. I cannot fathom what it was like for Elijah. He had defended God, shown God’s power by killing all the prophets of Baal, shed so much blood, and the dramatic calling down of fire from heaven to burn the soaking wet offering to Baal. Terrified that Queen Jezebel would have him murdered, Elijah left to seek God’s presence, but first he had to get to God’s holy mountain, on the other side of the desert. That desert comes up again.   The desert is a place of great beauty (as one of you shared with me this week) and terrible danger; people die of exposure and dehydration in deserts. Elijah must have been completely spent by the time he reached the holy mountain. Once there, Elijah felt confident that on this holy mountain, he would hear what God had to say to h...
1 comment
Read more