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Push Pass The Pain (by Minister Mary Edwards)
Pain. We all understand it. Whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual.
In a recent discussion with an out-of-state friend, she was expressing her
pain: The pain of loneliness. The last of her single friends was getting
married. Although she was happy for her friend, she was fighting some serious
depression. She was over 40, never married, and it has been a while since she
even had a date. Thus, no prospects for marriage. The emotional pain of
loneliness was throbbing in her heart.
Then there’s my other friend who has battled reoccurring cancer for more than
seven years. She is angry with God because He hasn’t healed her. Thus, she
suffers physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. She wants no mention of God in
her presence. All we who care can do is pray for her.
Another friend just lost her husband to another woman. She’s left with a
mentally disabled child who has limited comprehension of every day, normal
situations. How do you explain to this child that Daddy may never be back? This
child is eight years old and one of the few words he can say is “Da Da.”
Then there’s the pastor’s wife who, according to the doctor’s report, will
lose her eyesight any day now. Can you imagine the courage it takes to wake up
every morning never knowing if today is that day?
Let us not forget to pray for those who care for the sick and shut-in. I’ve
been there and remember so well how physically tired and emotionally drained I
became. At one point, I dare say, I was close to being spiritually bankrupt. It
seemed that everyone wanted my blood and no one was checking the gauge.
No. Life isn’t fair! And because we live in an imperfect world even the
righteous suffer. But great is God’s faithfulness. In I Corinthians 10:13 the
Bible says, “He will provide a way to escape so that we may be able to bear the
pain, whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual. Ask God for His escape
plan. He will help you push past the pain.
Friends, we must endure hardness and be good soldiers; as a good soldier gird
up your loins and fight the good fight of faith…knowing that God will never
leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
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