Saturday, November 16, 2013

Your Pain Is Not Meaningless

Many of you are struggling right now. Many are sick. Many are in pain (physically or emotionally). Many are under stress. Many are getting discouraged.

I am among you, my friends. I'm not going to complain to you about all of my struggles, mostly because its just a waste of my time. I have better things to do than wallow in misery, and bring you down with me. But, I'm not going to lie and say everything has been fine either, because it hasn't. Just know that it isn't one big thing that brought me to a place of mild depression, but rather several "smaller" things piled on top of each other. Regardless, my pain is real... and your pain is real... BUT, for those of us who are Believers in Jesus Christ, our pain is also not meaningless.

I recently came across this song by Shane & Shane that I want to share. It is a song about the pain and discouragement we feel when life is hard. We may feel as if its all meaningless. But, its not. There is a purpose for it. And even when we are hurting, we can still PRAISE the Lord through it all.

You will notice that halfway through the song is a short excerpt from one of John Piper's sermons. It is based on these verses: 

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Please listen, and be encouraged...

 

 
 

3 comments:

  1. Amen sis and God sure does care and is there.
    Meantime, our pain is used to draw only closer to Him and be on that unique platform to minister to so many. [As you have.]

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  2. A wonderful post! I don't normally like John Piper because of one of his You Tube a Q & A's about women in abusive marriages, but this brought tears to my eyes! I am constantly questioning what the point of Bethany's cancer, disability, pain, and suffering is. I really don't want all of that to be for nothing! I just wish it wasn't her that had to live with it. I wish no one had to live with that!

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    1. I understand your pain, Sylvia. I have often focused on what is seen in regards to my own daughter, but as the verse above says, we need to realize our suffering is temporary, and it can ALL be use to grow us closer to the Lord. Try to focus on what is unseen, and keep trusting that the things we go through in this life are not for nothing.

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