A Good God in a Painful Moment

When I was a kid, I had a very vivid imagination. Like many of you, I loved to play that game where you pretend the floor is lava and jump to different furniture pieces to keep off the ground. I can still hear my parent's voices telling me over and over again to be careful, stop, or slow down. Despite my parents warning me constantly of the dangers of this game, I chose not to listen. When I was around 5 years old, my siblings and I were jumping all across my living room…I’m sure you can see where this is going. Well just like my parents said, I tripped and fell, sending me face-first into a glass table...ouch. As a result, I cracked my chin open and had to go to the hospital to get stitches.

You see, despite knowing the expected behavior my parents asked of me, I chose my way over theirs. Even after being warned of the potential dangers and consequences, I chose to play the game. Often, this is how we interact with God. He warns us in His Word about sin and its consequences, but we still choose our own ways. Sometimes our pain is ultimately the consequence of our own actions, and that can be a tough pill to try and swallow.

My mom didn’t witness that epic fall I mentioned above, but let's just say she did. Let’s imagine she was there and gave me permission to play the game. Would it have been my mom’s fault that I fell and hurt myself? Was my mom the actual cause of the fall? No. I caused my fall by playing a game I knew was dangerous, and I tripped. That’s on me. While my mom would not be why I fell, she would have still permitted it to happen. Similarly, this is how we can understand our relationship with God. He allows us to have free will and make our own choices even when He knows it will hurt us. I, now, have a scar on my chin from that incident, and I bet you can guess what game I stopped playing after it happened. Yet, I learned from that pain. I learned how to protect myself from similar circumstances and listened more intently to the instruction of my parents, as a result. In the same way, God sometimes permits bad things to happen to us because we need to learn, grow, or depend more on Him. One of the most beautiful things about God is even our failures can be made fruitful through Him.

However, sometimes our pain isn’t a result of anything we did or did not do. Sometimes we experience pain because we simply live in a world full of sin. The fact of the matter is that bad things happen, not always because God is allowing it, but rather because most of today’s world reflects the enemy rather than its Creator. Bad things happen because sin is present. As a result, we may not always understand the why behind our hurting. But the humanity in all of us still makes us question where is God when I am hurting or how could His hand be in this situation? In fact, I was asking those same questions about 2 years ago, and you know what? That's okay. It is okay to let God know your worries, fears, frustrations and hurt. While we may crumble under it all, our God can take whatever we throw at Him. After all, He knows what we are feeling before we even say the words.

If you have taken a look at the About page on this website, then you had a chance to read a little bit about my story. There was a two-year period in my life when I was in an abusive relationship. Even after the relationship ended, I struggled to see any light in the situation. Little did I know that God had a bigger plan for my pain than what I saw on the surface. For a while, I didn’t think that the pain would ever subside. I was discouraged and frustrated because I felt I wasn’t healing "fast enough". I was in a state of despair and had nowhere else to turn but God. If someone would have told me that I would be writing a book right now to help women overcome the very thing I was struggling with at the time, I would’ve laughed in their faces. Now, I’m not saying God is going to call you to write a book too, but I do know He is going to use your pain and turn it into something beautiful. There was a time when I didn’t think the pain would ever end. A time when I thought I would always have this big open wound in my heart that I’d carry with me everywhere I went. But as crazy as this may sound, knowing what I know today and seeing how God has used my story for His glory, I would choose to do it all over again. I am closer to God than ever before, and the pain of that relationship was nothing compared to the joy I’ve now found in Him.

The Bible talks frequently about suffering and pain. It talks about God waiting patiently for us to give our pain over to Him. I want you to understand this: the pain you are feeling can defeat you, but only if you let it. So, when you don’t know the why behind your pain, cling to the things you do know. Romans 8:28 is a verse I cling to when I am struggling. It reads, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” So, we can hold on to the promise that if something isn’t good, God is not done working. You may not understand the why now, but maybe that's for the best. In the waiting, you can trust in God’s promises and cling to the future we have of being united with Him one day. There will be a day when we will have the answers to all our questions. Perhaps, the reason we don’t have the answers now is because our faith needs a little strengthening. If we knew all the answers to everything, why would we need God? Our God desires a relationship that involves trusting Him and relying on Him more than our own understanding.

Have you ever done any embroidering? I went through a phase in my life where it was all I wanted to do…I soon gave it up when I realized I was quite bad at it. That being said, I was surprised to see the masterpiece I had made when I looked at it from the back. You see, the front was a beautiful design, but the back was full of knots and loose ends all over the place. Our lives are very similar to that. They may appear to be very ugly, messy, and pointless from our point of view. However, just like embroidering, there will come a time when you see how carefully and beautifully crafted The Maker designed your life. Every cut, knot, and tangle was a part of the intentional plan He laid out for your life.

So, where is God amidst your pain? Why does God let bad things happen? When you cannot see His hand working, trust God’s Word, and hold on to the promise that He will never forsake you. When you are weak and have nothing left to give, that is when you really need to rely on Him and rest in His presence. To close, I want to turn your attention to 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10 which reads, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. " When we are weak and broken, we can allow God's healing power, everlasting joy, and living hope to shine through us. There is a purpose for your pain and joy is coming, my friend.

May your roots run deep, and your faith remain strong! As always, stay rooted, my friend! <3