Surviving Pain

I have a disclaimer before I begin this post. Turn your imagination on and picture this scene.

You are standing on a vast beach on a sunny and breezy day. The waves steadily pound the shore as the seagulls fly gracefully overhead. You see a child's red sand bucket sitting atilt. You walk through the warm sand to see what's inside. And it's full of sea water. And you look out to the horizon, and feel like you can see forever. Nothing but ocean, Majestic, powerful, and endless.

The red sand bucket is my knowledge. The vast ocean is God's.

I don't have all the answers and don't believe anyone on Earth does. But I do have faith in God and I trust that He has all. The whys, the answers, and the endings.

I have some friends who are going through tough stuff. Really tough. Like drop to your knees and feel you will weep forever. I know a couple of friends who are struggling and I don't know exactly what's going on, but I can tell they are in pain.

Pain is the human common denominator. We've all felt sucker punched by life. We've all felt betrayed by someone we trusted.  We've found ourselves in agonizing situations and wondered, "how did I get here?" 

Most people—even those who aren't believers—blame God. Like He sits in heaven and zaps us poor souls here on Earth. I use to believe when something bad happened, it was God getting me back for some sin. And yet, when good comes into our lives, we don't credit Him for that. But the blame game, we got down pat. After all, that started in the Garden of Eden.

Remembering the disclaimer, I want to share with you what I've learned.

Pain happens for many different reasons. Sometimes, it's caused by others, but at our expense. Sometimes, it's the natural consequences to our poor decisions. Sometimes, it's the tragic result of previous generations. Sometimes, it's the way we process a situation incorrectly. The reasons are many, the results the same. The world, the flesh, Satan.  Bringing on pain.

But none of the above reasons are God's fault. Oh, I know He could have intervened and prevented it from happening. After all, He's the infinite ocean. So why doesn't He? That's the question that haunts everyone in pain. Why…Why me…Why now…If He loves me, then why?

When I look back, I realize that every painful situation taught me a valuable lesson. More faith. More patience. More compassion for others. More perseverance. More wisdom. More love.

I believe God allows pain to come our way. Before it hits our calendar, He knows the desired lesson for us. He is shaping us for what lies ahead. After all, He allowed Job to experience great loss and suffer incredible pain. He allowed Peter to be sifted. He allowed Thomas to doubt. He could have intervened but chose not to. Each grew in wisdom and faith from pain. And so can we.

Now here's my red sand bucket philosophy. 

When pain enters my life, I know there's a lesson to be learned. Something which came before God and He allowed it to come my way. So the "why" doesn't really matter. Even when it hurts so badly I can barely breathe, I have faith that since He allowed it; I will survive like many other times in my past. My prayer goes something like this. "Send me the billboard sign so I can learn the lesson and move on. Help me to see why You allowed this in my life. Please, the sooner the better."

Now I know that’s rather bold. The red sand bucket strongly pleading with the powerful ocean. But He respects the honesty of a broken heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 tells us, "For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

I believe He honors those sincere prayers, opens my mind, and helps me see with clearer eyes. The awareness of the lesson comes. I learn. I grow. I deal with the situation even if it's only acceptance. I move forward. And the pain eases.

What do you believe? What helps you to survive and thrive through the pain? Please share your thoughts with me.  

Tammy Van Gils is a writer, blogger, and co-owner of S & N Paint Contractors, Inc. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Word Weavers International. In the Richmond area, she is a member of The Christian Writers Hub and Word Weavers Richmond. Visit her Facebook Page, Pinterest and Twitter @Tammyvangils.