Pain can be incredibly complex. It’s universal yet personal. It can be fear, or failure, shame or loss. And sometimes it’s all of it and sometimes it’s a host of other things. But what I'm learning is that pain has purpose. It exists for a reason. Pain calls us to wake up, to pay attention, to address the pain, to learn and to grow. I’ve learned that pain has helped me recognize my own strength. Sometimes it was my strength, but mostly, it was God’s strength manifested in my life and it was He who carried me through life’s difficulties. When I shouted, “I can’t,” it was He who whispered, “I’m able and I will.” It was His strength, His gentleness; His grace, and His tender mercy that helped me get “through.” It was He who carried me through the desert when I felt I couldn't keep going, when I felt too weary and it was He who welcomed me with out-stretched arms and into the light. He lifted my burden and He set me free.
Pain has taught me a lot of different things through the years. It’s taught me to pay attention and to be aware. It’s taught me that it’s far more dangerous to place pain on a shelf [denial] than to deal with it head on. Pain can be an incredible teacher if we let it. I’ve learned that God has equipped humanity with amazing strength and that humanity has the capacity to endure great difficulty. But I’ve also learned that humanity has the ability to overcome, to thrive and to flourish. God knew in advance that because of the fall of man, life would be difficult at times. And because of that, He has provided and equipped each of us with what we need to be an over-comer. Sometimes we impede our own healing because we choose to block the Source of our healing. It's there and available for everyone. We just need to be aware, and tap into the Source. I've learned and continue to re-learn with every new difficulty that nothing is impossible for God and with God and that He loves to turn our tears into triumph. Yes, He does and He does it every day. We may not see it every day and sometimes we don’t get to hear all the stories but just because we don’t see it all the time, or hear all the stories, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. I’ve learned that in spite of how awful we might be feeling during our darkest hours, we're never alone. I've also learned that if we draw near to God, He truly does draw near to us. I've learned that God and time are great healers, incredible healers! Last but not least, I’ve learned that until you get to the other side, until you get through, lean on Him because God's grace is magnificently sufficient. It’s always sufficient.
Pain has taught me a lot of different things through the years. It’s taught me to pay attention and to be aware. It’s taught me that it’s far more dangerous to place pain on a shelf [denial] than to deal with it head on. Pain can be an incredible teacher if we let it. I’ve learned that God has equipped humanity with amazing strength and that humanity has the capacity to endure great difficulty. But I’ve also learned that humanity has the ability to overcome, to thrive and to flourish. God knew in advance that because of the fall of man, life would be difficult at times. And because of that, He has provided and equipped each of us with what we need to be an over-comer. Sometimes we impede our own healing because we choose to block the Source of our healing. It's there and available for everyone. We just need to be aware, and tap into the Source. I've learned and continue to re-learn with every new difficulty that nothing is impossible for God and with God and that He loves to turn our tears into triumph. Yes, He does and He does it every day. We may not see it every day and sometimes we don’t get to hear all the stories but just because we don’t see it all the time, or hear all the stories, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. I’ve learned that in spite of how awful we might be feeling during our darkest hours, we're never alone. I've also learned that if we draw near to God, He truly does draw near to us. I've learned that God and time are great healers, incredible healers! Last but not least, I’ve learned that until you get to the other side, until you get through, lean on Him because God's grace is magnificently sufficient. It’s always sufficient.
Wishing you peace and wholeness,
~Ruthie
