IRONY OF PAIN

Hey there, 👋welcome back to the creative spectrum Christian blog.

So without further ado, let's get diving into today's topic, shall we?🥰.

Today's topic is centered around pain….

THE IRONY OF PAIN

Pain, what an inevitable experience for we mortals in this life.

Pain and sorrow are so intertwined in the everyday fabric of our lives that we can't imagine what life would be like without them.

It's like a catastrophic life storm that was ahead the way with enough power to blow the whole world apart.

As dark clouds roll in, we anxiously try everything known to keep the storm at bay, fortifying against it, looking for a way to prevent it, praying for an escape route to avoid it.

We wish these things weren't happening in life, but it seems there's no stopping it, and sometimes the only way out is through.

We try to fearfully manage and avoid the approaching storm, or stand up straight, to turn towards it and face it head to head.

How much damage, the storm would do depended on the choice made.

Storms of life come to the doorstep, the instinct is to fight or flee.

But the instinct of running and hiding, is like a rabbit running from a wolf activating “prey fleeing from predator” which hyper-sensitizes to fear, anxiety and magnifies the negative impact of trauma.

Our minds are like story making machines, working to create order and meaning out of the events of life in the whirlwind when things fall apart.

When tragedy strikes and throws our story into chaos, we can't help but ask why?

The nagging question won't leave us alone, keeping us up at night and buying up all the real estate in our minds, until we can't think of anything else but finding an answer that would make our story make sense again.

The aftermath of putting all the scattered pieces of the puzzle together yields an outstanding masterpiece of the irony of pain, that projects the mind and magnifies the view of a different perspective and different psychological system as confronting problems as the one who can overcome them.

Pain is mitigated as we recognize ourselves not as the prey or victim of our troubles, but instead as the one who is empowered to confront, learn from, and even overcome them. This sets the stage for transformation, turning the catastrophe that might have destroyed us into a holy crucible that can refine us and make of us than we were before.

Our posture makes all the difference.

Same storm but different outcome. Our best bet for surviving the storms of life is by moving from anxious avoidance to expectant acceptance. From there, we can build on our circumstances, trusting that the storm is what God uses to make us stronger than the storm.

By facing what we can face today, even just bit by bit, we will find strength gathering in us that in time can turn the tide. Faith the size of a mustard seed can indeed move mountains, and little by little we become stronger and can learn to overwhelm that which overwhelms us.

There's an ancient saying that says, “when the student is ready, the teacher appears”. It's only when we turn to face our storm head on that we can receive the strength, wisdom, and tenacity that we'll need to face it. Sometimes the only way out is through, but we can trust that we're not alone,

Isaiah 43:2 says "when you go through deep waters, I will be with you". One of Jesus' names is Emmanuel, which means God with us. So, regardless of what we face, we should always know that we are not alone and we should look forward with great hope that a new life is waiting for us on the other side.

The Apostle Paul said in Romans 8:18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

Remember,

Diamonds are formed under intense pressure.

Grapes must be crushed to make wine.

Olives must be pressed to release oil.

A seed must be broken to grow.

After the rain, then comes a rainbow.

At the end of every dark tunnel, comes the light and the only way you can get to the other side of the tunnel where the light is, is when you go through the tunnel knowing that you'll come out stronger.

God will turn your pain into something beautiful if you will let Him. Trust Him and let Him work.

You have to give in to the process.

Numerous people in the bible endured pain which later turned to a greater good.

The life of Joseph, son of Jacob (Israel), for example, went through pains and later became second in command after the pharaoh.

When the “bus ride of life” propels us into the darkness and fear of the unknown, frantic questions crowd in.

“Why is this happening to me?”

“How long is this going to last?”

“Why isn't God helping me?”

“Does he even care?”

We may question our ability to survive and start to doubt God. We become overtaken by despair in our expectation for a better future.

Pay attention to the way you express your current experience. Words of complaints and all towards God and others, are evidence that you are believing the lie that you've been abandoned, forgotten or alone…etc.

Just like you and me, Joseph most likely had to remind himself of the truth, no matter how his situation went the lord was with him, and whatever he did the lord made it prosper (Genesis 39:23).

There'll be moments when we want to quit, however our current sufferings, no matter how big or small, expose our need for God and perseverance. They can build confidence in us because God will always be there with us every step of the way, even in the midst of our trials. When we find ourselves on the road of perseverance, we are provided the opportunity to develop new survival skills, the different storms of life are challenges that mature and grow us the most. Before Joseph was promoted to that position, he had grown in wisdom, character, and steadfastness of hope in God.

• Joseph's many years of suffering and loss produced patience and endurance>>> strength of character inside him.

• Character to be able to handle the unjust circumstances

• Character to forgive when hatred would have been natural

• Character to embrace his gifts and hold on to his faith uncompromisingly.

All the unfair circumstances had matured his character through discipline, self-control, faith, and patience.

Don't allow the storms of life weigh you down. Instead, rise above the storms because what might seem like a detour currently may actually be the main road to get you where you're supposed to be.

We will know when this difficult season has accomplished its purpose in us when we can stand and face it.

Romans 5:3-4 says “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.”

And the greatest example of people who endured suffering was Jesus. He endured a degree of suffering, trials and persecutions just for our sake, and he is now seated at the right-hand side of God, if an almighty God who became a man suffered and overcame it on earth, how much more us?

John 16:33 says, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart because I have overcome the world.”

Jesus has overcome the world and since he lives in us and we in him, then we have the assurance that we also have overcome the world.

All the stories in the bible aren't just mere stories, it has been passed from generations to generations for us to emulate and incorporate into our daily lives.

Pulling out stories of their historical context and applying them to our own personal lives, not just to teach but also to integrate into our stories.

Stories like that make a boy grow bold, stories like that make a man walk straight

The word of God is life, without it there won't be life.

Suffering, loss, failure are what God uses to teach compassion, empathy, and humility. God disciplines the one he loves.

Hebrews 12:7-11 says

“As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his children. Whoever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.

Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”

Always rejoice in the lord when you run through trials and tribulations because that's what will be used to shape you into what you're supposed to be, remember the world won't last for long, so fix your gaze on him. The apostles of Christ Jesus went through several pains and humiliation but still, they didn't fret, their eyes were fixed on the price which was eternal life, they knew all these were temporary and they endured through Christ

The irony of pain is that...

• It doesn't last for long because when the time comes, there wouldn't be anything like suffering.

• In the long nights of those dark seasons when fear, doubt, and pain consumes like a wildfire, later when the smoke clears, we see more clearly how God, our deliverer and author and finisher of our faith is at work. He causes everything to work for our good.

Romans 8:28 says that, And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

• God can use your suffering to help others. As we pass through the fire of our suffering, authentically working through our disappointment, grief, anger and so on, knowing that God is always by our side 24/7, trusting and having faith in him and speaking what he says into our lives. We have the chance of coming out the other side more whole, more alive, and more like Christ himself. We are made more like him by facing the storm head to head and voluntarily taking up the cross of our suffering and following him.

As we do this, with the great hope that love will have the final word over our lives, we become the sweet aroma of Christ and light to the world around us~able to minister to the suffering of others, offering help and hope and becoming the light at the end of the tunnel for those still in the dark.

Your success comes as a by product of what is developed within you as a result of choosing courage over fear and patience over refusal to go through challenges. Not only will we feel liberated when we learn how to lean on God, but we will have nothing to fear.

My next post will be a short story, please do well to anticipate. The story will be centered on this topic “IRONY OF PAIN”.

Until then, stay tuned for more and subscribe to this blog to get notified of my latest post. You don't want to miss it🤭.

God bless you all.