Pain

Posted on April 12, 2023 by Elizabeth Welte in Victory Call

Recently, I tried a new weight training workout – all lower body.  When I got up the next morning I was SORE. I could barely move my legs and when I did, there was much pain.

I knew that my legs still worked just fine… but the pain made me NOT want to move them.  The pain was the limiting factor, not my legs.  If I could tolerate the pain, my legs would still have taken me on a mountain hike.  BUT the pain was screaming, “No, no, no. Don’t move.”

This reminded me of something I have told many counselees.  We want to be healed. We want to change and we will move along the journey right up to the door that says PAIN in big bold letters and then typically we stop.

Emotional pain, much like physical pain, causes us to shrink back, freeze, or run the other way.  We are far too often content to do all the changing we can right up to the door, but not go through the door.

It is not natural, humanly speaking, to move toward pain. Our natural inclination is to move away from pain.

I could have sat on the couch for a few days till the muscle pain in my legs passed, but what value would the workout have been if I allowed the pain to make me a couch potato?

Instead I continued to get out walking and hiking and then back to my weight training work out.  I’m not saying that to impress you – believe me – I look anything BUT impressive when I work out.

I tell you this to demonstrate that when facing that door that says PAIN – Keep moving forward. Trust God to walk that journey with you.  Turn the door knob and keep moving forward. Trust God to give you whatever portion He deems appropriate AND that with the pain He also pours out HIS GRACE, POWER, COMFORT, and STRENGTH.

“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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”  (2 Corinthians 2:9)

“For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.”  (2 Corinthians 1:5)

Just keep moving forward even if you look like I did the day after my work out.

KEEP MOVING. It may help to solicit godly counsel from your pastor or a godly woman that you know.

Over time, you will find that the pain begins to ease and peace begins to grow.

 

Written by Diane Hunt: Diane Hunt serves on the board of America’s Keswick and is the Executive Director & CEO of Changed Choices, a Christian non-profit in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.


Think About This: “Submission…. Involves getting rid of everything which hinders God’s control over our lives.” –Billy Graham

The Daily Bible Reading:1 Samuel 9-10. You can download our 2023 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here. 

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

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