Finding the Purpose in Your Pain

James 1:2-4 (NIV) Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Who would choose to go through pain?

Who wants to go through pain? If you asked around, most people would say “No.” Why would someone choose to go through pain. But if you look around, there are people who choose to go through pain all around us. A mother giving birth to her child. A person exercising to lose weight. A person running in a marathon. An athlete trying to make it into the Olympics. These are just a few examples of people choosing to go through pain. But what makes pain bearable for them is that they have a purpose for their pain.

The purpose behind our Pain.

Many times, people look at the pain they are dealing with in life and that pain seems to be too much for them to handle. They feel that there is no way that they are ever going to get through their pain. When we focus solely on the pain, the pain will become un

bearable. If we focus on the purpose beyond the pain, we begin to understand God’s ability to use the suffering in our lives for greater things.

God’s preparation comes packaged as pain. There is a purpose in your pain. God is using that pain to strengthen us inwardly before he does something through us. Knowing that there is purpose in our pain, does not take away the pain that we are feeling. But knowing and believing that there is a purpose changes our perspective of the pain. When we see the purpose beyond the pain, we start to understand God’s ability to leverage the suffering in our life for greater things.

If you look at your pain in that moment and time, chances are you are not going to see the purpose in your pain. When you just look at the situation in the moment of pain, it would be easy to miss God’s plan. You may not be able to see the purpose in many years. One day you will be able to look back upon the pain to realize how God had used your pain for a better purpose. Since most times, we are unable to see or understand the pain we are going through, we must trust in God and know that he does have a purpose for our pain. Believe that in a few years you will be able to look back upon the pain and start to understand God’s purpose.

It has been a little over a year since my family faced a difficult tragedy. There were many different types of pain that we were dealing with at the time. If we just took the moment and tried to deal with the pain alone, it would have been too overwhelming. I remember my kids would ask me why this had to happen? I did not have the answers as to why it had to happen to us. But what I did know and what I told my kids everyday was that God has a plan. That we just had to believe and know the God has a plan for us. He will get us through this time. There is a reason for our pain, for why my family had to go through and continue to go through our pain. We may not see it yet, even after a year, because we do not know the timeline for God’s plan. He does. I have no doubt that he will guide me through the pain to my purpose. Some day’s it seems the pain is too much. It is hard to go on. Then I tell my self that God does have a plan and that believe gives me the strength to push forward.

Pain helps us to discover our own strength.

Pain can and will make us stronger. Some people just end up going through life. But dealing and facing your pain will help you grow through life. Tough times often help us to discover the strength that we never knew we had. Even though we do not always realize our strength, God does see how strong we are. Pain is an opportunity not for God to see how strong we are, but for ourselves to see how strong we are. We are much stronger than we think. These tough times often help us to discover the strength that we never knew we had.

Not only does our pain strengthen us physically and mentally, but also to strengthen us spiritually. Hard times have the ability to deepen not only our faith but also the faith of those around us. It teaches us the wonderful things that we can only learn when suffering humbles us and forces us to pay attention. Know and believe that God is using our pain to better us.

You can either blame God for your pain, or you can know that God has a purpose for your pain and pray for his guidance to help you get through the pain.

What are you going to do with your pain?

Pain is inevitable. It is what you do with your pain that matters. You can choose to wallow in your pain and let it destroy you, or you can choose to use your pain for good and let it strengthen you. Whatever you are going through right now. Change your perspective to see God’s purpose in your pain. The very thing you dreaded the most is what God may use to strengthen you. The indication of the pain may be the indication of the purpose that God has for you

Sometimes it is hard to go through the day dealing with your pain but know that God is working in all things to bring about good to those who love him and are called for their purpose. With faith God will show his faithfulness. You just need to believe that it is there.

Trust God for his purpose.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”