“Try to exclude the possibility of suffering...and you find that you have excluded life itself.”-C.S. Lewis
You guys. Pain is admirable. Pain is strength. Please don’t hide from it. Here’s why.
Pain and joy are like a pendulum; always swinging back and forth. This is what I am calling the “pain” factor. The further you swing into pain, the further you’ll swing into joy. This is the “patience” factor. However, if you try to block the possibility of pain, you also block the possibility of joy. This is the “trust factor.” Each is essential to your eternal happiness, and I’ll explain why.
1). The Pain Factor
Think about it--one of the most important parts of the atonement is to take away our pains, and our sins, but also so we can find happiness. If we try to block our pain, we are wasting part of this incredible gift and blessing. Why would we do that? Christ gave his life for us. Let us vow to use his atonement to the fullest. Christ gave his life so we could be happy and clean, and eventually return to him one day. He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, sweating drops of blood out of the pain. He knew we were going to hurt. He knew we were going to suffer and cry, distraught with sorrow. He knew that we would be reduced to utter nothingness buy some of the trials that are in store for us. So he suffered for our sins, he knows our pain. If he suffered for the sins and afflictions of all the world, our personal sins and afflictions being just a fraction of the pain he felt, why are we putting this pain to waste? EMBRACE YOUR PAIN. REVEL IN IT. GROW IN IT. EXPAND IN IT. YOU GROW THROUGH PAIN. You become the person you were meant to be through coming unto Christ, and one of the ways he intended us to come unto him is through our afflictions.
1). The Pain Factor
Think about it--one of the most important parts of the atonement is to take away our pains, and our sins, but also so we can find happiness. If we try to block our pain, we are wasting part of this incredible gift and blessing. Why would we do that? Christ gave his life for us. Let us vow to use his atonement to the fullest. Christ gave his life so we could be happy and clean, and eventually return to him one day. He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, sweating drops of blood out of the pain. He knew we were going to hurt. He knew we were going to suffer and cry, distraught with sorrow. He knew that we would be reduced to utter nothingness buy some of the trials that are in store for us. So he suffered for our sins, he knows our pain. If he suffered for the sins and afflictions of all the world, our personal sins and afflictions being just a fraction of the pain he felt, why are we putting this pain to waste? EMBRACE YOUR PAIN. REVEL IN IT. GROW IN IT. EXPAND IN IT. YOU GROW THROUGH PAIN. You become the person you were meant to be through coming unto Christ, and one of the ways he intended us to come unto him is through our afflictions.
The reason why pain is strength is because it takes courage to feel your pain. It takes courage and strength to leave our heart and soul vulnerable. It is admirable. A human who can grow, love, serve, cherish, and strengthen through their pain is strong. So strong. I look up to them. So please. Let the pain in. Because joy always comes next.
2). The Patience Factor
Sometimes, the process of “swinging back” takes a while. Pain can stretch on for a long time. But you have to be patient in your happiness. You have to have patience in goodness. Because God doesn’t hate us. He loves us. More than we can imagine. So he’s not going to just hand us a problem, then kick us out of his sight and let us deal with it on his own. No. Never. He’ll always be there. Guiding, comforting, supporting. Even when you are in pain and life seems bleak, there is always good. He wants to give us everything he has. He just has to make sure we’re worthy. So have patience in his goodness. Have patience that the joy will come. Have patience that the Lord has our backs. He won’t let us down. Not ever. We only let him down.
Can I tell you something? I often feel alone. I often feel abandoned. I am still working on a sense of fulfilment. It is a trial and heartache of mine. Yet I know it will change soon. I know that it’ll all work out. I know that Christ is there for me. I know he loves me. So if I can have faith, you can too :). I know it can be hard. Patience is not easy. But this isn’t a mortal ailment. This is an eternal blessing. Your faithfulness will either make or break your eternal happiness in these crucial moments. So stay strong. You got this.
I’ve been in many instances where the swinging, or patience, phase seems to stretch on forever. When the pain and heartache are unrelenting. But swing it did. Relent it did. Your patience will be under constant pressure. But bad things end. Pain goes away. When I say, “you got this”, I’m not just saying it. I know it. I believe in it. I believe in you.
3). The Trust Factor
2). The Patience Factor
Sometimes, the process of “swinging back” takes a while. Pain can stretch on for a long time. But you have to be patient in your happiness. You have to have patience in goodness. Because God doesn’t hate us. He loves us. More than we can imagine. So he’s not going to just hand us a problem, then kick us out of his sight and let us deal with it on his own. No. Never. He’ll always be there. Guiding, comforting, supporting. Even when you are in pain and life seems bleak, there is always good. He wants to give us everything he has. He just has to make sure we’re worthy. So have patience in his goodness. Have patience that the joy will come. Have patience that the Lord has our backs. He won’t let us down. Not ever. We only let him down.
Can I tell you something? I often feel alone. I often feel abandoned. I am still working on a sense of fulfilment. It is a trial and heartache of mine. Yet I know it will change soon. I know that it’ll all work out. I know that Christ is there for me. I know he loves me. So if I can have faith, you can too :). I know it can be hard. Patience is not easy. But this isn’t a mortal ailment. This is an eternal blessing. Your faithfulness will either make or break your eternal happiness in these crucial moments. So stay strong. You got this.
I’ve been in many instances where the swinging, or patience, phase seems to stretch on forever. When the pain and heartache are unrelenting. But swing it did. Relent it did. Your patience will be under constant pressure. But bad things end. Pain goes away. When I say, “you got this”, I’m not just saying it. I know it. I believe in it. I believe in you.
3). The Trust Factor
Trust is, in my opinion, the most crucial factor of this entire equation. Here’s why.
When you block the pain, when you push it out, you’re also pushing out the joy. Because the pendulum can’t swing when you have it tied in place. So you have to trust that the pain you’re feeling is supposed to be there. You have to trust that it’s all part of something good. Something true. Something strong.
Each three of these factors are essential to your eternal happiness. I hope you know that. I hope you embrace it. I hope you love your pain. Your pain is beautiful. Your pain is stunning. Wear it with the dignity of someone strong.
Your joy is beautiful. Your joy is stunning. Wear it with the dignity of someone kind.
When you block the pain, when you push it out, you’re also pushing out the joy. Because the pendulum can’t swing when you have it tied in place. So you have to trust that the pain you’re feeling is supposed to be there. You have to trust that it’s all part of something good. Something true. Something strong.
Each three of these factors are essential to your eternal happiness. I hope you know that. I hope you embrace it. I hope you love your pain. Your pain is beautiful. Your pain is stunning. Wear it with the dignity of someone strong.
Your joy is beautiful. Your joy is stunning. Wear it with the dignity of someone kind.
This post was very painful for me to write. Why? Because it describes what’s going on inside me right now. I’m fighting a constant battle in my heart-to be choose happiness, goodness, and light or to choose misery, bleakness, emptiness. I don’t know why I’m having these struggles. I don’t know what they’re preparing me for. I don’t know why I choose to endure them. I don’t know how they are changing me. I DON’T KNOW. I. DON’T. KNOW. I really don’t. It’s painful. It’s a struggle. A war even. I just have to trust. I have to have patience. I have to keep the Spirit of God with me whenever I can.
That’s how I know I’ll conquer.
Savannah
Savannah is a friend of mine. Her blog can be found here. :) http://thesavsadventures.blogspot.com/
Savannah is a friend of mine. Her blog can be found here. :) http://thesavsadventures.blogspot.com/
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