Just Moms

Last night my husband and I were talking about my labor and delivery with my daughter. She was stubborn right from the beginning! After being overdue, false labor twice, induced, and non-stop labor for 12 hrs (without drugs!) I was told the following: “We are going to have to do a c-section”.

Of course at the time that I was being informed of surgery, I wasn’t thinking much about all the pain I had gone through. I just wanted my baby to be healthy and safe. But after she was born and I was able to enjoy my baby (rather than worrying about everything!), the thought came to me -

All that pain was for NOTHING!

All of my children may have been born via a c-section, but I’m not a stranger to the pain that labor brings. So I certainly know how intense labor is! And I can relate to other women who have gone through it or are about to go through that painful journey.

Sometimes in our lives, we may not know why we feel pain. We may not see the lesson that our pain reveals to us. And it is frustrating when we think our pain was useless and unnecessary.

Like I said earlier, when I was being taken in for my c-section, I wasn’t thinking about my “useless” pain. All I was thinking about was how my baby was going to be delivered.

God works in the same way. He doesn’t want us focusing on the pain that we are going through. He wants us to be focusing on how He will deliver us from it! He wants us to be looking onward to the prize that is before us! As I looked onward to my prize that was waiting for me (my precious little girl), I was able to handle my pain a lot better.

Yes, we are to learn from our pain, but it shouldn’t be our focus! We should recognize that it is there. And examine why it’s there. But we should focus on how God will deliver us – in His time.

If you are going through pain today (physical, emotional, or spiritual), stop and examine yourself.

Think of a dr’s visit. What does the dr do?

-Asks you questions. The doctor wants to know answers to specific questions. Where does it hurt? When did it start? Did you injure yourself? How intense is the pain?

-Physically examines you. The dr. just doesn’t hear the answers to your questions and leaves you alone. No. He/she examines you the way that they were trained. They know where to press. They know what motions for you to do. They know how things are supposed to move and how they are to be aligned.

-Testing. Sometimes things are obvious to the dr and he/she can diagnose you from what they can see or feel during the appointment. But a lot of times, they send you for tests (x-ray, CT scan, bloodwork, etc…) to get a better picture of what is going on inside. The things that they can’t see or feel. That is where diagnosis can be revealed.

Our spiritual life needs examining as well. Especially our spiritual pain.

-When did it start?
-How long has it been hurting?
-Did something specific happen to cause the hurt?
-Does God’s Word reveal something that I can’t see?
-Am I willing to ask others to help examine me?
-Am I willing to hear the diagnosis from another believer or from God Himself?

When we deal with pain, it may seem useless. But it is NEVER without a purpose!!! Whether it’s been caused by our own sin, or God is allowing us to endure pain to bring us closer to Him. The pain is there for a reason!

Be aware of your pain. Some of your pain is caused by foolishness. If so, then remove that habit or action that is causing it! Some of your pain is out of your control. If so, look past it and move onward to the prize set before you! God will deliver you in His time!