What are you doing with your pain?

I think it’s safe to say that most of us…ok, all of us!…have had some sort of pain in our life.  Whether it’s physical pain, emotional pain, the pain of being hurt by someone, the loss of a loved one, relationship struggles, financial struggles…the list goes on and on… Pain is just a part of life.

I have read several quotes by Corrie ten Boom lately on Pinterest and I can’t help but think of all the pain she endured in her life, physical and emotional.  All sorts of shapes and sizes.   (Have you ever read her book The Hiding Place?  You should!  It’s such a God-honoring book!)

It’s unbelievable what Corrie, and many others, lived through during World War II.  Unimaginable.  (and I have the nerve to complain??   Shame on me!)

I’m not sure its even a conscience thought for most of us, but I often wonder if, because she came out “on the other side” praising God and giving Him the honor and glory, we {unconsciously?} think that what she went through wasn’t that hard for her to go through.  That it was easy for her to look up and give God the glory and to choose to forgive those who did horrible, horrible things to her and her loved ones.  Perhaps we think there wasn’t a real struggle in her to do right; that it came easy for her.  Perhaps that’s why we feel justified to grumble and complain because, well, “what I’m going through right now is just, well, its rough.  Really rough.  You just don’t even know.”

Uh huh, right.

Corrie didn’t have access to more of God’s grace than we do.  She walked and talked with God each day and, with His help and the outpouring of His grace, she kept her heart right with her God and continued walking with Him and giving Him the glory all her days.  It was a daily choice, just as it is with us.

If I am failing to give God the glory in my life, in my pain, it is my fault…not His!!

Did you know that Corrie suffered a few strokes in the last several years of her life, which kept her in bed and unable to talk? (You can read about it in the book: The Five Silent Years of Corrie ten Boom by Pamela Roswell)  Yet those who worked with her and those who came to visit were all amazed at the peace of God that poured out through her, even in her silence.

What an example.

Someone else that I believe has been a great example of God’s amazing grace in years of suffering is Kerby and Kelli Campbell.  Through Bro. Campbell’s terrible pain, he and his wife continue to give God the glory and show us how His grace is sufficient.  Though I’ve never met them, they have been a great source of encouragement to me.  (I’ve listened to several of Bro. Campbell’s sermons online and have been blessed every single time…look him up! You won’t be disappointed!  Maybe this sermon can get you started 🙂 )

I recently read this post on their FaceBook page, written by his wife Kelli, and I asked her if I could share her thoughts here, and she graciously agreed. 🙂

NEVER FORGET YOUR PAIN!
“There is a doctor, who was diagnosed with arachnoiditis, that has healed himself through nutrition. I have tried my best to get Kerby into his office but he is not seeing any new patients even with a doctor referral. He has written many books. I am assuming that he is busy. I have tried many methods to get him in. I thought if I could just talk to him personally about Kerby that he would make an exception since he knows the pain of arachnoiditis. This week I tried calling his office again but I could not get passed his receptionist. He has a Facebook page so I decided to send him a personal message. His page said he responds within hours…I gave it a try. I told him, very briefly, our story and asked him to please consider seeing him. I prayed, truly left it in God’s hands, and waited for an answer. Several hours later, he responded. His message simply said, “Sorry. I cannot.” I was so disappointed. How could he not make an exception? He knows what it feels like to hurt. I just knew he could help Kerby. I immediately realized that God had shut the door firmly and I had gotten an answer. Kerby was not home when I called or messaged this doctor so he did not know what I was doing. When he returned home, I told him all that I had done and what the doctor said. He simply said, “He has forgotten his pain.” How true!
Whatever it is that you are going through or have been through never forget your pain. God allows the pain for a purpose. Maybe that purpose is for you to help someone else that has just begun to hurt as you have hurt. I never want to be guilty of forgetting our pain. I always want to reach out and comfort others as God has comforted me. I always want to be there for others as others have been there for me. People who have “been there,” who understand what I am going through, have given me the most comfort…to know I am not alone. I may not be able to fix their problems but I can be there for them in their pain.
This is not a sad day for us. We still have hope in God! He can do great and mighty things all by Himself! I just wanted to use a real life example to encourage others to never forget your pain!”

by Kelli Campbell

(source: FaceBook)

After years of suffering, you can’t write something like that without looking to God every single day.  Drawing on His endless supply of His amazing grace.  It is very evident that they are striving to give God the glory through their years of pain.  Because it’s easy?  No…because it’s right.  And because they have chosen to let God’s grace flow in their lives and make them better and not bitter.  I’m sure they have days when they want to give up.  To quit.  But what are they doing with their pain?  They have made a choice…they have chosen to live for God and give Him the glory through the pain.

They have encouraged our family and we have never even met.  They have encouraged us to keep going when things get hard.  They show us that God’s grace is sufficient.

Are you struggling?   Are you living a life of pain right now?  Let whatever you’re going through draw you closer to your Heavenly Father and let His grace cover you and carry you through.  And may this amazing grace of His show though your life in a way that others will look on and know it is only HIM.