Pain With A Purpose..

Pain With A Purpose...3-19-25

Throughout my life I have come to realize that everything has a purpose. Ecclesiastes 3:1, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" With that purpose often comes pain or discomfort. Let me illustrate this. As you get older, you do things that cause pain or discomfort. My husband knows that every time he runs his chainsaw his elbow will ache, sometimes excruciatingly so. He cuts trees down, then cuts them up, piles brush, and cuts more. Every single time, the same result. Yet, the purpose of cleaning up the trees to expand the hay field, keep them off the fences, or dispose of one that has fallen is important and must be done if you own a farm. There is a purpose and he has to work through the pain and discomfort to fulfill the purpose.

My sister before she passed away made a comment, "I know I'm still here because I have a purpose." She was in pain sometimes and sometimes it was just discomfort. But it was there. She couldn't see the purpose at the time, but God could. I think of that often. That conversation and what God's plan for her must have been. It is okay to wonder those things. I am not questioning anything about her time here on Earth. Proverbs 19:21, "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails."

Samantha Ebert released a song with fellow artist, Seph Schlueter. Samantha wrote the song, "Flowers" after her health diagnosis and battle. For an article in Culturelost.com, Samantha said, "In August of 2023, I got very sick. For months I couldn’t get out of bed nor attend my last year of University and I lost my ability to drive. Those days were long and difficult but gave me time to grow in my relationship with God and I rely on music to help me get through each day." Samantha goes on to talk about the process of growing through her pain. This song refers to our valleys as times in which God is planting seeds. He is the watering can and we are the seeds that He is planting. Our pain, His purpose.

You see, there is often pain with growth. Even children experience growing pains as their bodies adjust. As we grow in God, we experience pain as He teaches us and others through us. When we pray and ask the Lord why He is keeping us in the pain or discomfort we are feeling, we may not have a definitive answer. We may not see clearly for a time, and sometimes we may not understand at all why we had that pain. 1 Corinthians 13:12: "Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part, but then I will know fully, even as I am fully known." Those seasons will come and go as we grow and become older.

So at this point if you pay attention to the images that I always post at the top, some of you may not understand the significance of snow angels. This is an image of an older woman who is sometimes in discomfort/pain. I am laying in the cold snow making snow angels with my grandson as my husband takes pictures for my students at school. You see, for some reason to them it was important that I make a snow angel in our one good snowfall. It was important to my grandson that I lay next to him in the snow and we make snow angels. Yes, it was important to him that my husband and I have many snowball fights. The pain and discomfort aside for the purpose of a few precious memories and smiles that come from the images. Is there a greater purpose in this? There is always a purpose in every action, every moment, and every aspect of our lives. That purpose may be for our benefit and it may be for the benefit of someone else through us. Be there is a God-directed purpose for the pain.