Our Pain Has Purpose

When I first heard this I was astonishingly taken aback. I believe it was a confused mixture of really hoping this was true and that all my pain wasn't purposeless, with a side of undeniable doubt. A pessimistic viewpoint, kind of like a "yeah right," moment but a "please let this be true," on the side. All my life I had wondered how every experience I 've ever had could actually be worth something good. I never wanted to accept the fact that it was all for nothing, it had to do something, it had to mean something, somewhere, somehow my pain would change the world or a life in some small way, and I yearned for that. It wasn't that I wanted to share my pain with others as if burdening them more with my problems. No, I wanted to resonate with others, share our experiences together, but more importantly to share our hope with one another. The world is a very dark place, every human-being has suffered in some way, whether it be the loss of a loved one, financial hardship, a break up, a broken promise, abuse, etc. Nobody on this planet is immune to suffering. We are all broken my friend, we all relate universally in that aspect, whether any of us want to admit it or not, we are all broken. Shattered like a pottery vase from the inside out. Seeking, hoping, and yearning to be healed and to find hope. The good news, however, is that in all our brokenness there is a hope, and His name is Jesus, and Jesus is the one who shows us just how much purpose our pain has and just how powerful our pain can be. He uses every experience, the good, the bad and the ugly for the greater good and to glorify His true power through it. Such an underestimated blessing don't you think?

There is five verses from the Bible I would like to share with you today about the purpose for our pain. When I first read these verses I really was taken aback, I had to read it over and over again for it to really soak in and when it did, I couldn't help but to cry. It brought so much purpose to all the pain and trauma I have endured into my life, it now all made sense and in some small way, I felt validated. For some context, the verses I'll be sharing with you are in regards to Apostle Paul sharing his views on suffering to the church of Corinth, but, his letter is also for us as well.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

"3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us."

He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. That part hit my heart like a wrecking ball. But in a good way. I realized all my pain wasn't purposeless, it had a purpose although I couldn't see it than, I can start to see it now. The comfort God has given me through every experience in life, is going to be the same comfort that pours out of me into others. That is why I have chosen to step outside of my comfort zone and share my writing with the world. My experiences, my stories are real, they hold weight, but more importantly they bring hope to a world that is desperately seeking it in all the wrong places. So today, if you are reading this and there is a part of it that resonates with you, if there is a part of you that feels so irrevocably broken that you desire hope, look up. Hope is as close as your lips are to your face. There is no right way to pray, talk to God as you would a friend. You can trust Him with every secret, every memory, every thought and feeling. Pray your heart out to God and ask him to come into your brokenness, because believe it or not, He wouldn't want it any other way. He wants you to trust Him with it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Allow Him the chance to shine hope into your darkness and to bring healing to your broken and contrite soul. Because that's what our good Father does.

Father I want to thank you for blessing me such a wonderful opportunity to share my experiences through this blog with others. Thank you for showing me how powerful my pain is through Jesus, and how you are my only hope in this dark cold world. Thank you for the person reading this, Father I pray that you soften their heart to your love and mercy and that you reveal yourself to them in some way. Father I ask that you shine your light into their darkness and heal all their broken pieces. Father thank you for all your love, mercy, forgiveness and grace that you so selflessly bestow upon us all daily. Thank you for forever being faithful and never changing. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.