One Aspirin, or Two?

Deal with your pain or it will deal with you. We have to actually 'process' our pain if we are to ever get beyond our pain. Pain comes in many forms - physical, emotional, relational, and even spiritual. We cannot ignore pain, but we try to push it down over and over again rather than taking it to God or seeking help for it. We hope that ignoring it will help us somehow, but it just brings repeated torment to us.

Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

God's plan is for the pain to drive us closer to him - not further away. When we withdraw from the pain and try to bury it, we are allowing pain to drive us away from God. As much as God wants to be worshipped, he also wants us to be open with him in ALL our needs. Every weakness we have, he stands ready to make us strong, but we have to be honest about what it is we are experiencing.

Pain leaves us very weakened. Weakness taken to God will be made into strength. Nothing will change our past, but remember...God wants to heal our brokenness, regardless of what it is. We need trusted friends to share our pain with - we need to 'process' it and talking with a trusted friend can be the beginning of us getting to the other side of that pain. We will never heal until we begin to allow the wounds we bear to be exposed to the touch of God.

Many see absolutely NO purpose in their pain, but hear this clearly...God has a purpose, even though he isn't the one causing the pain. He will use it somehow, even when we think there is no redeeming quality that can come of it. Pain can be treated by seeking help, or it can be ignored, causing us even further discomfort in the form of shame, resentment, anger, mistrust, and the list goes on. Seek help for your pain. You don't need to live under with all that other discomfort! Just sayin!