Let Your Pain Make You Better, Not Bitter

Pain is a problem for many people. No, not just the suffering, but understanding “why.”

While volumes have been written on the subject, this short facebook post from “Daily Devotionals by Rick Warren”, with credit given to the source “How to Get Through What You’re Going Through,” offers some insight.

While I don’t agree with all of Warren’s theology, this piece offers both Biblical wisdom and practical application.

“Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.” –Proverbs 20:30 (GNT)

No matter who you are, God’s number one purpose in your life is to make you more like Jesus. To do that, he’ll take you through the same things Jesus went through.
Sometimes Jesus was lonely, misunderstood, criticized, and judged. Some days he was exhausted and other days he needed to be away from people and by himself. Jesus was even tempted!

God didn’t spare Jesus from these things—and he won’t spare you either.

Hebrews 5:9 says, “Suffering made Jesus perfect” (CEV). In this verse the word “perfect” means “complete.” Jesus became complete by going through hard times.

It’s true for you too. There are some things you learn only by going through pain.

Pain transforms you. It never leaves you where you started. You can choose for it to take you to a place of being bitter or a place of being better.

I don’t know what you’re going through today. It may  be a physical, financial, or relational problem. Maybe it’s a prolonged pain that seems like it will never go away. Whatever it is, you can choose to grow in character and become like Jesus through it.

As Paul and the believers around him suffered, they chose to have an eternal perspective, and you can too: “For this reason we never become discouraged. Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, yet our spiritual being is being renewed day after day. And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17 GNT).

I would add these two thoughts to Warren’s post.

#1 God did not create suffering. He is the Giver of good gifts (Jas. 1:18). God made man upright. Sinless. Perfect. Genesis 1:31 says “God saw that all He made and it was very good.” The evil, pain, and suffering did not originate with God. When mankind sinned by listening to Satan’s lies, the problem of pain began.

#2 One day all suffering will cease. And our pain will pale in comparison to what God has in store for His followers. Heaven will be the home for those who are faithful and endure through the negative side effects of life.

In the meantime you can either allow your pain and problems to make you bitter or better. In either case, God cares. And Jesus says, “Come to me. You who labor and are burdened. And I will give you rest.”

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman