This Pain has a Purpose

Resistance band, check. Lacrosse ball, check. Ice packs, check. More money than I’d rather spend, check.

There you have it: all the things I needed for a productive physical therapy session. After several consecutive nights of no sleep due to some chronic neck and shoulder pain and my doctor’s orders I was more than willing to give this a try.

Before the session started, the rehab doctor warned me that it was going to be painful. He said for me to expect bruising and soreness. I looked at him and said, “If my neck and shoulders stop hurting as a result of this process, I am willing to endure the pain.”

It’s amazing how the hope of being pain-free was all I needed to commit to this process. The fact that the process itself involved even more pain had no bearing on the fact that on the other side of the additional pain was sweet relief.

Perhaps you are experiencing some chronic pain yourself. Physical, maybe. But chronic pain can certainly take on other forms as well. Namely, emotional, relational, spiritual, or even psychological. Have you cried more nights than you thought possible? Did he just up and leave you and the baby? Do you feel lost without a purpose or destiny in sight? Is that wayward child, lying co-worker, and/ or needy sibling still driving you crazy?

After several consecutive seasons of no progress, the question is, are you willing to follow the orders of the Great Physician? Yes, the process will involve some additional pain. Leaving an unhealthy relationship hurts. Breaking a bad habit is no joke! Turning over a rebellious child to face the consequences of his or her own actions is not for chumps. Adjusting to the loss of a loved one aches. The difference, however, between the chronic pain of our circumstances and the pain we experience as we follow Christ’s orders is this pain has a purpose!

Paul said it best in his letter to the church in Corinth. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

When we commit to the process of being transformed through God’s Word, communion with Him through prayer, and a connection with fellow believers, we’ll feel the natural undeniable agony of letting go. Even better, we will have the power of the Holy Spirit and the hope of freedom to propel us through.

Will you commit to this process?

If so, gather the things you will need for a productive transformation all the while remembering to “fix [your] eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Bible, check. Commitment to prayer, check. Accountability partner, check. More time, discipline, and effort than you feel as though you can offer, check. The power of Christ at work within you, check!

“ . . .  For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13)