pain...
Life is full of painful moments. Sometimes it's physical. Many times, it's emotional. Regardless, pain hurts. Pain is uncomfortable. Whether it be a stubbed toe or the wrong word said at the wrong time, it comes in all sort of forms. And if you've ever experienced any kind of pain at all, you understand that the one thing you want the most is for it to be over... and be over quickly.
Sometimes we might get confused as followers of Jesus thinking that we are exempt from feeling pain or sorrow. That there should only be joy and happiness and that He should keep the tough stuff at bay. But I know a lot of people who are going through some difficult things right now. I am aware of a lot of pain that many people are feeling, and some I'm all too familiar with. Because here's the truth, sometimes it's easier to be the one hurting than to helplessly watch someone else hurt.
Quite a few years ago, I got my first round of stitches. I remember sitting the doctor's office, blood pouring from the tip of my thumb, and I was in serious pain. It was, and thankfully still is, the most severe injury I've had to date, and I was terrified of getting stitches. The nurse gave me a numbing shot promising me that it would take quick affect, and thankfully she didn't lie. By the time the doctor came in, I couldn't feel my thumb nor did I feel the pain of the stitches. He bandaged me up and sent me home with a prescription for a bottle of pain killers saying, "You may need to start taking these tomorrow when all of the feeling comes back." And the next morning when I woke up, my thumb was throbbing so much that I could wait to swallow one of those little pills and lose the feeling again.
Drugs effect everyone differently. I certainly didn't feel the pain, but I also didn't feel like myself, either. I cried and cried for no particular reason, and nothing I said made sense. Even in my haziness, I remember thinking how odd and out of control I felt. I wasn't sure if that was any better than actually feeling the pain. As the drugs wore off by the end of the first day, I had to decide whether I wanted to feel the pain or whether I wanted to feel completely out of control. Clearly, I could not keep my sanity and lose the pain, and so I decided that I'd just do my best to tough it out all the while reminding myself that the pain meant healing.
Jesus hung on the cross after having an incredibly painful day. It seemed that there was no relief in sight, and it started in the garden as his soul was in anguish. Praying so diligently that the cup would pass, drops of blood fell to the ground. It was only the beginning. The start of a difficult journey filled with pain and suffering, and he knew this was the road he would walk.
"As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it." - Matthew 27:32-34
A little relief, physically, as Simon carried the cross. But the load he bore paled in comparison to the load Jesus carried. And, in the first sign of compassion since it all began, the soldiers offered Jesus wine mixed with gall. A man made concoction. A "quick fix"drink to numb some of the physical pain he was about to endure as they would nail his hands and feet to a wooden cross. But he refused. He wasn't willing to take a short cut, an easier way out. He felt each pounding of the nail, each scratch of the cross, each difficult breath that came in and out of his body. And as he hung on the cross in pain, healing began.
Maybe pain isn't such a bad thing. Maybe pain reminds us that we're human and that we need Him. That we can't do it on our own. And maybe pain is the body's way of saying, "Hey, it's time for healing to begin." Because you can't live like that forever. And in a world that offers quick fixes and temporary solutions, it's tempting to take a short cut. It's tempting to hurry and ease the pain or at least find a way to forget about it. But covering up pain doesn't make it go away. That's the purpose of the cross. A place where we can come no matter what we're enduring, and we find comfort knowing that we don't have to endure it on our own. Because we have a Savior who totally gets it. He knows first hand what it feels like, and he knows how to get through it. He knows how to get you through it.
And so if you're looking for relief, look to the cross. Look to the One who bears the scars. The One who brought healing through stripes. Look to the One who promises comfort, help, refuge, and strength. There, you'll find just what you need when you need it.
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." - Hebrews 4:14-16
Sometimes we might get confused as followers of Jesus thinking that we are exempt from feeling pain or sorrow. That there should only be joy and happiness and that He should keep the tough stuff at bay. But I know a lot of people who are going through some difficult things right now. I am aware of a lot of pain that many people are feeling, and some I'm all too familiar with. Because here's the truth, sometimes it's easier to be the one hurting than to helplessly watch someone else hurt.
Quite a few years ago, I got my first round of stitches. I remember sitting the doctor's office, blood pouring from the tip of my thumb, and I was in serious pain. It was, and thankfully still is, the most severe injury I've had to date, and I was terrified of getting stitches. The nurse gave me a numbing shot promising me that it would take quick affect, and thankfully she didn't lie. By the time the doctor came in, I couldn't feel my thumb nor did I feel the pain of the stitches. He bandaged me up and sent me home with a prescription for a bottle of pain killers saying, "You may need to start taking these tomorrow when all of the feeling comes back." And the next morning when I woke up, my thumb was throbbing so much that I could wait to swallow one of those little pills and lose the feeling again.
Drugs effect everyone differently. I certainly didn't feel the pain, but I also didn't feel like myself, either. I cried and cried for no particular reason, and nothing I said made sense. Even in my haziness, I remember thinking how odd and out of control I felt. I wasn't sure if that was any better than actually feeling the pain. As the drugs wore off by the end of the first day, I had to decide whether I wanted to feel the pain or whether I wanted to feel completely out of control. Clearly, I could not keep my sanity and lose the pain, and so I decided that I'd just do my best to tough it out all the while reminding myself that the pain meant healing.
Jesus hung on the cross after having an incredibly painful day. It seemed that there was no relief in sight, and it started in the garden as his soul was in anguish. Praying so diligently that the cup would pass, drops of blood fell to the ground. It was only the beginning. The start of a difficult journey filled with pain and suffering, and he knew this was the road he would walk.
"As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it." - Matthew 27:32-34
A little relief, physically, as Simon carried the cross. But the load he bore paled in comparison to the load Jesus carried. And, in the first sign of compassion since it all began, the soldiers offered Jesus wine mixed with gall. A man made concoction. A "quick fix"drink to numb some of the physical pain he was about to endure as they would nail his hands and feet to a wooden cross. But he refused. He wasn't willing to take a short cut, an easier way out. He felt each pounding of the nail, each scratch of the cross, each difficult breath that came in and out of his body. And as he hung on the cross in pain, healing began.
Maybe pain isn't such a bad thing. Maybe pain reminds us that we're human and that we need Him. That we can't do it on our own. And maybe pain is the body's way of saying, "Hey, it's time for healing to begin." Because you can't live like that forever. And in a world that offers quick fixes and temporary solutions, it's tempting to take a short cut. It's tempting to hurry and ease the pain or at least find a way to forget about it. But covering up pain doesn't make it go away. That's the purpose of the cross. A place where we can come no matter what we're enduring, and we find comfort knowing that we don't have to endure it on our own. Because we have a Savior who totally gets it. He knows first hand what it feels like, and he knows how to get through it. He knows how to get you through it.
And so if you're looking for relief, look to the cross. Look to the One who bears the scars. The One who brought healing through stripes. Look to the One who promises comfort, help, refuge, and strength. There, you'll find just what you need when you need it.
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." - Hebrews 4:14-16
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