Just go away, pain.

You're about to hear my heart....are you ready?

We are so prone to run from anything that hurts. And moreover, we tend to think our trials are there so God can remove them "in Jesus name".

We aren't comfortable with suffering. We aren't content with pain. We don't delight in enduring the hard stuff. We're human. We're hedonists. We live for pleasure. It's super hard to "count it all joy when we face trials". But as Christians, we have to choose to be the opposite. We must believe that Christ's life, death and resurrection is an example of how to live.

Listen fellow believer, don't be fooled into believing that God intends a life of pleasure for you. Not that "every good and perfect gift is from above" is a lie. It is most certainly the truth. Every earthly possession we have is a gift from God; from our spouse to the food on the table at night. But what God intends for his children is a life modeled after his Son. A life full of humiliation, deprivation, and sanctification. (look up words you don't know later :))

I can't tell you how many examples of Christ I have come across in the past couple years that remind me of who my Savior is. I think of the single women in our church who are in their late 20s, early 30s and who are REJOICING in the honor of serving Christ through singlehood. The man in my church who has battled multiple myeloma for over 7 years and still gives every ounce of glory to God for his life. The women in our church who have experienced the deep pain of miscarriage but yet glorify God for His perfect will. I've watched a couple fight for their marriage after many nights of heartache and lonliness. And then I've seen that same couple pursue each other and rekindle their love (and are now with child). Every time someone in my life says, "i'm struggling so much but I know the Lord has a plan and I trust him" I tear up and say thank you Lord for broken, vulnerable people who know you are in control. Thank you for people who are after YOU being magnified and them being debased. His power is made perfect in our weakness.

Read Philippians 3:10-12

I'll end with a quote I got from Challies' Blog from Ligon Duncan talking about how our suffering is meant for the maturity of the church not just for us alone. A new perspective for sure. Be blessed and may Christ dwell in you richly!

"Your suffering does not just belong to you. You are members of a body. Your suffering is for the body's maturity as much as it is for your own. Your suffering is there to build up the church of Christ. It is there for the people of God to be given faith and hope and confidence in the hour of their trials. Your suffering is also the body's suffering because one of God's purposes in suffering is the maturity of the whole church." Ligon Duncan on Suffering for Christ.