Ive recently started reading a book titled: The Impassioned Soul, by Morton Bustard. And a section of this book really stood out to me that I felt somebody needed to hear, its a little lengthy but if you’re going through a trial in your life and it seems like the pain wether physical or spiritual, or maybe even emotion just won’t go away, I urge you to read to the end. I pray it will bless you as much as it did me.
Pain is not forever:
Recently a dear friend of mine wanted to know if God was angry with her. The reason she had this question in her mind was from her suffering with leukemia.
Approximately a year earlier, little 8 year-old Kelly had been diagnosed with this disease. After much prayer, the cancer went into remission. It would appear that she would get to enjoy a full life. Later we would learn that this would not be the case. The cancer emerged from dormancy with a most horrible vengeance.
As we knelt on the floor beside her chair, my pastor and I both affirmed to this precious little girl that God was not upset with her. It was just the opposite. His love for her never wavered .
Service after service I watched this sweet family worship when it wasn’t convenient. As Kelly sat on the pew, hardly able to move, Dad would stand with tears streaming down his face in adoration of his Lord. They did not get mad at God or accuse Him foolishly. Of course they questioned why.
Asking why is human. There is no sin in inquiring why trials come and why we have to face the situations that confront us. In His blood-covered, pain-ridden body Jesus looked into the heavens and asked why.
The bible says it rains on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). Good and bad people are stricken with cancer. The Psalmist David declared, “Many are the afflictions of the unrighteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all” (Psalms 34:29). David did not say “from” but “out of”. There is a major difference between the two.
The fact that God still loved her was proven beyond any doubt early the next morning. I was on a plane bound for Canada while Kelly’s family and pastor knelt at her side. Words were scarce from Kelly. Being subjected to pain of this magnitude, coupled with the treatment for the disease, left her absolutely exhausted.
Through it all this little warrior put up a tremendous fight. When all eyes were focused on her, she thought of others. On one of my family’s earlier visits to see her, she gave my youngest daughter a cap. Kayla cherishes it to this day.
That morning, from a body racked with pain, Kelly managed to squeak out the words, “I see Jesus; He’s coming for me.” Those around her bedside admonished her to go and not linger for their sake. Releasing a loved one is not easy, but the task is much lighter when the final destination is considered.
In a moment it was over. Kelly’s face had no expression as she lay lifeless. Those present wept over the emptiness. This petite and precious child left one enormous void.
After several minutes passed, the room was vacated except for the motionless body of the child who had brought so much sunshine into each of our lives. When her mom and dad returned to where Kelly lay, they were astonished by what they saw. A smile graced the countenance of darling little Kelly.
I have no answer as to why an adorable eight-year-old was taken from this life. I along with everyone who knew her, wanted nothing less than her complete recovery. If there was a lack of faith, it certainly camouflaged itself well. The entire household possessed a strong love for God and a firm belief in His Word. Amid the emotions and the questions, her countenance spoke volumes.
When the news of her departure reached me and I was told of her smile, I remembered the words of our pastor. “Kelly, I promise you that you will not be in pain forever.” God obviously had no ill feelings toward Kelly; the smile said it all: Pastor, you were right. I’m not in pain anymore.
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and wept, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalms 126:5-6).
Notice that David did not say “they that sow with tears,” but rather “in” tears.” That means sowing when its not convenient, being faithful through times of pain and heartbreak. It implies squaring our shoulders and meeting the task head-on through life’s storms and winds of adversity.
There is a reason as well as a reward for enduring such hardship. When all is said and done, we will have experienced a relationship with God we never had before. We never know him as the Lily of the Valley, until we tread through the deep, lonely, valley (Song 2:1). God could have spared the three Hebrew boys from having to enter a fiery furnace, but if He had, they never would have seen the fourth man (Daniel 3:20-25).
We also have an enormous harvest. The barns and silos will be teeming with joy. Tears of sorrow will vanish, and our joy will be full.
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (Galatians 6:9).
All through life there is pain. There is pain of childbirth and the pain in growing. Many have made their exit from this life in pain, only to cross the chasm from the temporal to that great eternal place where no pain is felt.
Look into the sparkling eyes of a little girl. She dreams of being a ballerina. But before she dances with grace, she will practice in pain. We can endure pain more easily when there is a purpose for it.
Pain can be precious. A mother thinks so when she beholds the beauty of a newborn. It is worth it to the lad who becomes strong and tall- as well as to the person who knows Jesus is his Savior, when he is ushered by an entourage of angels into the presence of the King.