Purpose in the Pain

Are you like me? If you are going through some sort of trial, trying time or season of pain, can you cope with it better, find joy in it more easily, if you know that there is a distinct and important purpose for it?

When I was in high school I was on the swim team. During our initial weeks of conditioning we would work our abs so hard that the slightest cough or sniffle would make me double over in pain. I would wake up early for a few weeks to be at school by 6 am, just so I could make our morning swim and weight training. And don't even get me started on track. Ug. I would endure shin splints, running in barely more than my skivvies, in pouring snow (you've never lived in my State if you don't understand pouring snow), just to jump over those silly hurdles and win a race. Why? Why did I do all of that to myself? Because, there was purpose in the pain.

I was part of a team, doing sports that I not only enjoyed, but were kind of good at. I enjoyed the camaraderie, the winning (when that happened), the physical activity, etc... For me, the purpose was worth the pain - and so I endured.

How about all the silly relationships we've all endured in our younger years, or maybe even currently? The unhealthy friendship, the dysfunctional boyfriend/girlfriend, etc... Why would we allow ourselves to endure such drama, turmoil and pain? Because, in those moments, the purpose of the relationship seems worth the pain. And so we endure.

How about the married couple who so badly wants a child, but can't seem to conceive? Or the single woman who feels called to be a Mommy? Why would these individuals endure the cost and emotional (and sometimes physical) pain of waiting on conception or approval for adoption? Why do they endure the pain? Because the purpose totally makes the pain endurable! Talk about selling all you have just to purchase the field with the priceless pearl. Those kids, they are the pearls - and so, we endure.

I could go on and on with examples of ways that you and I endure pain for a greater purpose almost every season of our lives. And yet, when the pain becomes a little more vague, when the purpose is a bit more of a mystery, when it becomes about something a little less tangible, we, at least I, tend to shirk from the pain, thinking maybe the purpose just isn't quite worth it.

Can I get an amen? Or I am alone in this struggle? This is one of those lessons, that for me, is so hard to hang on to once learned. I feel like it's a constant area of growth in my life. Can you relate?

For me, enduring pain for the purpose of athletic prowess on the "playing field," or enduring pain for the sake of a child or loved one, those are so tangible. Not too hard to sacrifice for those purposes. But, when it comes to enduring personal, emotional, and spiritual hardship and pain - for the distinct purpose of growing in my relationship with Christ and becoming more like Him - it gets so much harder to endure. I whine, I complain, I look for the end to come now!

God has been teaching me a lot about this specific area of the Christian walk. If you are a Christian or have been around the Church much, you are familiar with the idea that Christians are called to follow Christ in His sufferings and pick up our crosses daily, etc... But practically? How does this work out? How do we make it? This is NOT easy stuff. It must be a lesson God wants me to fully explore and learn more about, because my heart just won't quite with pondering it and praying about it and reading about it in the Bible.

I want to be a Christ-follower who embraces the pain of spiritual growth, finds joy in the process and encourages others through it. I don't want to shirk from it, groan about it daily, find ways to escape it or fix it on my own. I want to embrace the pain, just like I do with so many other things, so that I can fully experience the blessing of the purpose - I want to endure.

I am not this kind of Christ-follower. Oh, but I want to be.

Tonight I sign off with an amazing quote that really spoke to my spirit. Maybe it will encourage you too.

If you feel comfortable, I'd love to hear your thoughts, triumphs, struggles on this topic/issue. God Bless you as you journey this purposeful but painful road.

"When your faith endures many conflicts and your spirit sinks low, do not condemn yourself. There is a reason for your season of heaviness. Great soldiers are not made without war. Skillful sailors are not trained on the shore. It appears that if you are to become a great believer you will be greatly tested. If you are to be a great helper to others, you must pass through their trials. The uncut diamond has little brilliance, the unthreshed corn feeds no one, and the untried believer is of little use or beauty. There are great benefits to come from your trials and depression..." Charles Spurgeon.