May 30, 2014

This is a little something I wrote in Flex (Study Hall) :

You know what's crazy? Crazy awesome? Pain will NEVER exist forever. Pain ALWAYS goes away. No matter whether you struggle with physical pain, emotional pain, or spiritual pain, it is only temporary! Never will it haunt you forever. Pain is fleeting, here one moment, gone the next. Strength lasts forever. Strength perseveres through the pain and laughs in its face. Strength is supplied from an eternal source: Jesus. He has overcome this world; He gives us strength to press on! Pain is of this world, so He has overcome it as well. Pain WILL end. Think of a time when you were scraped, or laughed at. Do you still carry your pain around? If you do, you are letting yourself down. You are letting pain - an inconsequential thing considering what Jesus has done for us - rule your life. Your pain HAS become your religion. Pain is not to be worshipped! Pain is not to be put in a jar, and shown off. Pain is not to be hidden, and left to fester and grow in the dark. Pain is meant to be shared. Pain exists to bring us back to Jesus. We cry out to Him, and He WILL hear! But if we arent in pain, do we cry out to Him? Pain grows your strength; pain grows your relationship with Jesus. Pain is BENEFICIAL. But not to be worshipped. Pain is a temporary reminder of what Jesus had to suffer, a fleeting glance into what He feels EVERY DAY. This broken world hurts Him deeply. Everyday we spit in His face, and slap Him, and curse Him, and beat Him. BUT HE LOVES US. It is the most amazing thing to experience, but few realize what is behind the veil that blankets our world. They are BLINDED by their pain. But really, it is Christ's love, BEHIND THE VEIL, that will save them! Pain can grow you, it can also hold you back! Don't let pain hold you back! Share it with others who can bear the load, let pain be a reminder of His pain, let pain lead you back to HIM. Do NOT let pain grow in the darkness, do NOT show off your scars! You are FORGIVEN! You are LOVED! Christ loves you so much! Christ's love gives us STRENGTH! The strength we need to press on. To endure. To persevere. The strength required to overcome our pain. Its a giant cycle that all points to Jesus. We experience pain, run to Him, and He gives us strength to endure. Sharing your pain with others takes a burden off your shoulders, and then THEY CAN PRAY FOR YOU! They can be a source of strength! But their strength comes from Jesus, so why not go straight to the source? Sharing does not mean showing off: Boasting in pain is wrong, while boasting in Jesus who gives you the strength to overcome pain is right! Its encouraged! It will give OTHERS strength! Pain, strength, and Jesus. Three interconnected things, all for the glory of Him. My last point: We live in a world of contrasts. Why does a loving God allow pain? God is STRENGTH. He is POWER. He is LOVE. But what is strength, power and love without contrast? Cold does not exist without a feeling of heat. Pain does not exist without strength. God allows pain because it guides us to His STRENGTH. To HIM. He IS strength, and will help you overcome! So press on! Persevere! So many have run the race before you, and Jesus is watching out for you! So sprint for the goal! And when you feel pain, let it lead you back to Jesus! (Hebrews 12:1-3) PAIN IS TEMPORARY, because CHRIST HAS OVERCOME IT.