Do You Know What Pain is?

I don't know if groundhogs know what pain is, but humans sure do. It hurts. It's not fun. It's not necessarily physical, but it's a horrible sensation nonetheless. It really gets to me, and it makes me feel hopeless. So, why is there pain anyway?

When you were little, did your legs ever get these weird, tight cramps? Mine did. At first, I hated them with everything in me. I would have my mom and dad rub my legs until the pain would go away or I would fall asleep. It was the worst, and I dreaded the pain. But there came a point when I noticed what the pain meant for me.

I was growing in my pain.

I would ache and wake up taller. It became exciting. Growing pains. I loved it. I would legit pray for growing pains so that I could wake up feeling a little bit taller and a little bit more successful. Pain was good.

But what if I tell you that all pain is good? What if I tell you that it's all necessary growing pains?

I don't like that. Do you?

I especially don't like it when I'm in pain. I wanna be a victim. We all wanna be victims, because it means we're innocent, totally not responsible for our situations. But are we really victims?

We deserve death. We are not victims.

Or are we? As I once read in a book by Robin Jones Gunn, we are victims--victims of GRACE. We mess up and bring pain for us and everyone around us; everyone around us messes up and brings pain for us too. But God takes these mistakes and uses them for our good. We may not see it, and we may never see it. Sometimes it's hidden. But I promise that God is using your pain right now to shape you and the others around you. I promise that God is going to turn your pain into a multitude of blessings, big and little. Chain reaction blessings. That will change the world in ways no one will ever understand.  And the Kingdom of God will grow each and every day.

We sin, and God gives us grace. God turns our pains into growing pains.

And that's one reason why God lets bad things happen. But there's more. So much more. But if we knew all of God's reasons, then we'd be God, and that can't happen. So, we'll have to settle for being victims of grace and, of course, victims of love.

Do you know what pain is now?