IS PAIN REALLY NECESSARY?

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PAIN. something we all want to avoid. Whether its emotional or physical, I don't think I know anyone who wants this. But no matter how much we want to spare ourselves, we cannot dismiss its reality. But as much as it is common in our everyday lives, most of us don't really understand the purpose of it.

Take Job for example. We are all familiar with his story, aren't we? Well for those who doesn't know him, Job is one tough dude. In the course of one day, he receives four messages, each with separate news that his livestock, servants, and ten children have all died due to invaders or natural catastrophes. Later in his story God inflicts him with horrible skin sores, his friends instead of providing him comfort rebukes him which only intensifies his then miserable life. In the end, God healed him and returned everything that Satan have taken away.

You see, God has given us two kinds of gifts-- Faith and suffering. There's something about fire that produces something beautiful in us if we only allow ourselves to go through it.

The bible says..

"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."- 1 Peter 1:6-7

Suffering proves the genuiness of our faith. It purifies us in such a way that it exposes our hearts and shows where our hope is really anchored. If its anchored in our day to day circumstance, because its a movable foundation, its easy for us to give up. But if it is anchored in Jesus, because he is unshakable, then so are we.

Trials should be accepted, not rejected. Yes, as hard as it sounds, it is necessary because first, it makes us familiar to what it really is and second, it teaches us compassion. This world is full of hurting and hopeless people, we cannot be ignorant of what suffering is. Jesus is a perfect example. If I were Jesus, I'd probably skip the pain of the cross, ridicule and torture. But if He did, then I don't think his words would comfort me because I am talking to a person whom I cannot relate to. But because my Lord and Savior endured the kind of pain so much more than I experienced, whenever He tells me to "take heart" , "do not be afraid" then I know His words are genuine words of comfort and love, because of course He understands.

See it within the context of God's love. Often times, we fail to see God's love at work in the midst of our pain because our eyes are fixed on the suffering, not on the author and perfecter of our faith. It is always important to see trials within the context of God's love. Think of the most painful, hurtful experience you had. Wasn't it also the time of your most meaningful and heartfelt prayers?

Don't grumble, just move closer to Jesus. Grumbling doesn't change anything, Jesus does. Yet all we do is grumble with every little thing we experience. I once read from a book that says "When we grumble and move away from Jesus, we alienate ourselves from the only thing who can help us."

Trust God's wisdom in allowing such things. In Arizona, USA a research facility called Biosphere 2 is a structure originally built to be an artificial, materially closed ecological system. Simply put, its a little planet. Inside the sphere, trees were growing rapidly than they did outside the dome. However, there's one problem; before these trees reach maturity, they break and collapse. Later on, the scientists found out that everything was right except for one thing: The sphere lacks wind. As it urns out, wind plays a major role in a trees life. The presence of strong wind makes a tree stronger, it is thus able to mature and not fall down due to its own weight. Trust God's wisdom, trials which we were taught will break us, is actually what we need to keep us from breaking.

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus,

Thank you for this truth Lord. Even in the midst of the storm, I will trust you. You know me well and you know the length to which I can go. Whenever I face challenges, help me to see it within the context of your love. Anchor my faith in You alone. Thank you Lord Jesus for I can trust your wisdom, whenever I experience trials of many kinds I know it is You molding me and purifying my heart. Lord I pray that when I'm afraid, I will put my trust in you even more. Thank You, for when I am with You, nothing can break me. You are the perfecter of my faith.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.