Running the Race of Pain

“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever”
(I Corinthians 9:24).

Lately I have been reminded of the fact that I can’t run – or even walk well.  I have seen countless cars with stickers for running half or full marathons.  Two of my daughters ran in a mud run.  And our area is again hosting the Marine Corps Half Marathon race.

Years ago I exercised faithfully and enjoyed staying in shape.  Giving that up due to back pain was very difficult, and at times like these I still struggle with that loss.

As I noticed yet another marathon sticker, I realized that those of us with health problems run a race with pain every day.  Serious runners are in continual training mode and so are we.  This may involve our diets (because we can’t eat certain foods), our sleep (or lack of it), and our activities.  We are continually adjusting and reworking our lives to accommodate our limitations.  We live and breathe our training.

All of this is quite exhausting.  Yet at the end of each day, God enables us to win our race.  On less painful days the race may seem like a stroll through the park.  Other days it may be a marathon.  We may run this race on foot, with a cane, in a wheelchair, or in bed.  But whether we end the day standing up straight in victory or unable to stand at all, we have won.

I don’t need to envy any runners.  I am one.  One day I will be able to run a literal marathon and perhaps I will.  But somehow I don’t think that satisfaction will compare to the knowledge that right now I am persevering with God through my race of pain.  I want to keep running, regardless of how exhausted I am, until I run right up to God’s finish line and get that crown of life.  And because of His mercy and strength, I will.

Prayer:  Lord, you have chosen me to run in this race of pain.  Continue to give me the endurance and perseverance I need to run this race to the end, and to do it for Your glory.  Amen.

 

 

Avoiding Becoming “Root Bound” in Our Pain

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18).

Although I am a novice container gardener, I do know that plants will not remain healthy if they become root bound.  They need the appropriate containers to grow properly.

Sometimes I feel root bound in my “life pot” of pain.  My physical limits are confining and keep me from expanding into areas that I would enjoy.  My pain and problems are like a tangled mass of roots in a pot that is the wrong size for what I consider to be my good growth.

There are several ways to prevent plants from becoming root bound.  One is to transplant them to different pots.  In reference to our lives of pain, this may involve God “planting” us in different situations or ministries that are adapted to our disabilities.

A friend and I have started a handmade card ministry.  Neither of us would have considered doing this before, yet through a God-ordained process we have discovered this enjoyable and meaningful use of our time which we are able to pursue despite our pain.  We never expected to be in this “pot”, yet God has transplanted us there, and we are growing.

Plants may also be divided and moved into smaller pots. At times God may “divide” us, and our worlds become smaller as we give up certain things.  Difficult as this may be, if we adapt to these smaller pots, we will continue to grow in new ways as we seek to learn more of God and display His glory to others.

God may transplant us to bigger pots, or we may be divided into smaller ones.  Whatever sized pot God chooses for us, we will avoid becoming root bound by continuing to deepen our knowledge of and love for Him and being open to new ways in which He wants to grow us.  As we stay rooted in Him, we will remain healthy plantings of the Lord, whether our pot is big or small.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, however and wherever you choose to transplant me, may I continue to grow in the knowledge of You and Your grace and mercy.  As I maintain that mindset, I will display your grace and glory to others.  Amen.

 

Unattractive Scars Can Be Reminders of Something Beautiful

“See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;”

(Isaiah 49:16).

Most of us have some physical scars that we feel are unattractive. 

 I recently marked the 10-year anniversary of my thyroid cancer and was looking at my scar.  After thinking back over my life since then, I look at the scar differently.  Instead of seeing something unattractive connected with suffering, it reminds me of all the lessons God has taught me, and I am thankful.

We tend to think of scars in negative terms.  We are unhappy about how they look and they may be reminders of circumstances we would rather forget.  But in our relationship with God those things are not necessarily negative.

Before my thyroid cancer my identity was based on works and my own strength.  Those were wrong attitudes that needed to be replaced with godly thinking.  The pain, anxiety, and mental breakdown I experienced forced me to look to God alone for my strength.  My thyroid scar is a reminder that God is doing new things in me.  My gall bladder surgery scar reminds me of how thankful I am for my daughter, since pregnancy caused the problem.  I have other scars from various accidents which are reminders of God’s protection over my life.

We may carry emotional scars as well as physical ones, but God shows Himself in those as well.  The pain may always be with us in this life, but that same pain keeps us continually looking to Christ to help us readjust our thoughts and emotions.

Scripture says that when Jesus appeared after His resurrection, He still had the nail scars from His crucifixion.  In eternity our scars will be gone, but it appears that His will remain as a sign of His great love and sacrifice for us. 

When I look at my outward scars or deal with ongoing emotional ones, I am reminded of what they symbolize in my relationship with Christ.  I think of His nail-scarred hands.  And I know that scars can be beautiful.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, help me see my scars as representations of  Your presence and protection  in my life.  And I thank you for Your willingness to be scarred for me.  Amen.

Reframing Our Thoughts and Memories against the Backdrop of God and His Attributes

“My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you” (Psalm 42:5).

Although not an art expert, I do enjoy looking at lovely photos and paintings.  Sometimes the frame itself enhances the picture greatly.  The backdrop can add or detract from it as well.  How many of us have taken pictures only to discover that something unattractive was hiding in the background and ruining the scene? I’ve also seen pictures that were unremarkable in one frame but became quite eye-catching in another.

In her Bible study Believing God, Beth Moore said that David and Jeremiah, among others, “deliberately refocused and reframed the difficult memories in the goodness and faithfulness of God.”  As I read that, I thought of difficult times in my own life, particularly those related to my health.  If I dwell on them in a negative way, I become downcast - wishing things were different, wishing I had appreciated more, struggling with the “whys” and “what if’s”, etc.

I can, however, choose to see God in the background of each memory.  As I reflect back, I see how God’s strength has continually carried me through my most difficult moments.  I realize how the Lord used and continues to use other people in my life to display His mercy, compassion, and even admonishment when I need it.  I remember the wisdom and direction He gave for difficult decisions, and how He brought peace through the beauty of nature and creation which I had never noticed before.

The more I look for God in the pictures of my life, the more I see His hand at work in all things.  Some of my pictures are rather bleak, but set against the backdrop and frame of God and His attributes, they are given a new and brighter look.  My life has not been not perfect, but it is filled with the presence of God, and that changes the entire picture.

Prayer:  Lord, when I struggle with negative thoughts and discouraging memories, help me look for signs of Your presence in them, causing me to remember You in my past, see You in my present, and trust You for my future.  As I do, I will be uplifted and encouraged.  Amen.

 

 

Can the Thorns of Affliction Really Be A Gift? The Paradoxes of Living Life with Jesus

“Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish”
(Isaiah 38:17).

A paradox is a statement or situation that seems to be contradictory but is in fact true, and Scripture is full of them.  In dying to self, we gain eternal life; in humbling ourselves before others, we will be exalted before Christ; in becoming a slave to Christ and His commands, we are free to live as we were created to live; in our weakness we see God’s powerful strength; although poor by the world’s standards, we have eternal riches.

The thorns of affliction touched many Biblical characters.  How many times have we remembered Job when life seems too unbearable?  Could Paul have written such words to spur us on if he had not had a thorn of his own?  And the crowning thorns of affliction were placed on the head of Christ himself.  Without that affliction we would be eternally lost. 

Psalm 119 says God allows affliction that we might learn His decrees and see His faithfulness.  James tells us that earthly trials bring eternal reward as well as perseverance and spiritual maturity now. Affliction forces us to rely completely on God and His strength, trusting Him to bring us through no matter how overwhelming our circumstances or how excruciating our pain. It brings a depth of character that nothing else can. We may think that we would prefer less character and maturity, but God knows what joys and blessings await us as a result of them.

The thorns of a rose bush cause great pain but the roses themselves bring great beauty.  God is using the thorns of affliction to show the most beautiful paradox of all – in dying, we live.

Prayer:  My God, I have never thanked thee for my thorn.  I have thanked thee a thousand times for my roses, but not once for my thorn.  I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensation for my cross, but I have never thought of my cross itself as a present glory.  Thou divine Love, whose human path has been perfected through suffering, teach me the glory of my cross, teach me the value of my thorn.  Amen.  (George Matheson).

Appearance Isn’t Everything

“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”
(I Samuel 16:7).

My mother recently downsized to a smaller apartment.  In the process she parted with some lovely European cut glass which she rarely used.  She displayed them occasionally, but the rest of the year they stayed packed away.  Although lovely to look at they were not very useful.

I am certainly not saying that we shouldn’t enjoy things because of their aesthetic value.  After all, God is the creator of beautiful things.  But sometimes appearances are not everything.

Pain and illness can affect our outward appearance.  One of my daughters saw a picture of me taken 30 years ago and remarked how good my makeup looked.  I somewhat laughingly told her that pain and age have taken their toll.  No matter how expensive the health or beauty treatment, it can’t always hide the effects of chronic pain.  Sleeplessness causes eye circles, medications cause weight fluctuations and other physical changes, and ageing causes wrinkles.

Being useful does not require a perfect outward appearance.  It requires a mind and heart attitude that is willing to be used by God in whatever ways we can in our specific conditions.  Focusing too much on outward appearance can promote a self-centered rather than God-centered life. 

 

Beautiful, healthy people may look at us and think we are not very remarkable, but God sees the inside as well as the outside.  If we are allowing our pain to conform us to the image of Christ - praising Him and giving thanks even when life is incredibly hard, trusting His decisions for our lives, forgiving those who don’t understand our limitations - our spirits are lovely and pleasing to God. 

My mother enjoyed the beauty of her cut glass, but she only has room now for what is useful.  In heaven we will all be perfect in appearance as well as continuing to have great purpose.  For now, even while in pain, I want to prepare my inner self to match the outward beauty yet to come.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, keep me from becoming distracted or discouraged by outward appearances. Rather let me stay focused on developing the beauty of Christ in me, and in serving the purposes for which You created me. Amen.

Keeping Balance and Focus while Walking the Tightrope of Suffering

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”
 (Hebrews 12:2).

I have been to the circus three times in my life, always in March.  One of my favorite acts was the tightrope walkers, although I always breathed a sigh of relief when they safely finished their performance!

Our pastor recently stated that our Christian lives should be focused as well as balanced, and I thought of those tightrope walkers.  To walk a tightrope requires the balance of keeping one's weight distributed as well as staying focused on the final goal - the end of the rope - rather than on distractions which could be dangerous.

We do need both focus and balance in our lives, especially if we live with health challenges.  It can be difficult knowing how to distribute ourselves evenly.  We don’t want to overcommit but we want to do what we can.  We have to choose between healthy and unhealthy relationships.  We need balance in our medical treatments, foods, and other areas of our lives.

Balance is definitely a part of healthy living, but we will still struggle without the correct focus Christ and His Word.  When He is our central focal point, we don’t get distracted by the worries and fears of our pain or what the future may hold. No matter how far away the end of our tightrope of problems may seem, Jesus is there encouraging us to continue moving forward toward Him.

The performers I saw had a safety net beneath them.  Praise God, the safety net of His presence is all around us.  If we become too focused on the concerns of this world, lose our balance, and fall, He is there to catch us and put us back on the wire.

The circus is sometimes called the greatest show on earth.  The tightropes of our earthly suffering will always be challenging to walk, but this practice is preparing us for the greatest show on both heaven and earth - God’s eternal kingdom - where our only need for balance and focus may be to choose which wonder of God’s to experience next.  So let’s keep our balance, keep our focus, and keep walking.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, thank you that Your presence always surrounds me.  Give me Your wisdom and discernment as I seek balance in my life and, keep me focused on You and Your Word rather than on earthly distractions and problems.  Amen.