Seasons of Pain

ages ago, i began seeing a chiropractor for treatment on my back. i remember that this guy lacked a bit in his bedside manner. in addition, his style of treatment seemed to match his personality. i can remember him walking around the adjustment table. then without warning, he would pounce on an area to adjust my spine. this was my first chiropractic doctor, yet even then, i was sure that his style was a bit on the unorthodox side. i could feel my body, and especially my neck, tensing up as i lay there, watiting to be 'pounced on.' (i soon looked for another chiropractor.)

my point being, even if i knew that doc had a bit of what i later nicknamed a 'kamakazi style,' i still lay there and endured the treatment. i knew that ultimately, the goal was to feel better, or to re-align my back as it should be.

for the last couple of years, i've been going through another type of pain. the kind of pain you have when watching someone you love struggle, suffer, endure brokenness and suffocating discouragement - but not being able to do anything to change it. i'm not the first person in the world to experience this, nor will i be the last. i have very dear friends who are going through a similar season of pain. pain so deep that you can point to a place on your body where you actually feel that pain manifest in the physical realm.

pain is no stranger to life. Jesus even said, "In this world you WILL have trouble, but take heart, for i have overcome the world." The Bible: John, chapter 16, verse 33.

i am no philosopher; i can't answer why God allows pain. but i know he does allow it. it's no picnic. i can remember laying on the floor, thinking that i was going to pass out from the level of pain. i even wondered how someone could go through that much pain and not actually die. know the feeling? in that painful state, it can be easy for some to question God, wonder what the purpose is, wonder what one can do to 'fast-forward' your life to a better time. yet Jesus knew we would have those times, and in doing so, he has already made provision for it.

i am learning that in those seasons of pain, God gives us peace. peace enough to sustain me through each moment of the day. peace to help you get out of bed and sustain you until you lie down at night. i know that on some days, it requires a boatload of peace to get through each moment, let alone the whole day. but God gives enough peace for each day.

God also gives grace. enough grace to encourage someone else going through something equally as painful. grace enough to share the surplus you have with someone else. grace enough to not say the thing in your head which you would like to scream out to someone who, in lack of understanding or maturity, will say the wrong thing. grace enough to give a kind and soft answer. grace enough to swallow your pride and not take offense. i'm not saying i'm perfect or have responded wisely each and every time. but i bear witness that God does give enough grace that brings an option to give grace each and every time.

in painful seasons, it's hard to see around the bend, or to look forward to the future. yet i know that our good shepherd Jesus is here with us now, and will meet us when we get to those turns and bends in the road ahead. and there, God waits for us with more peace and more grace for that time.

if you have been experiencing pain and discouragement, take heart. for he who has overcome the world knows what we are going through right now. and he cares very much for us and promises to be with us - come what may. and if it helps, you are not alone.