Releasing the Pain…

Everywhere today, people are suffering and enduring pain. It may be physical pain that is the result of some disease that is ravaging their body; emotional pain from the loss of a loved one through death or divorce or it may be the pain of rejection, withdrawal, remorse or neglect. As sure as there is breath that confirms life, so there is pain.

In fact, doctors often speak with their patients regarding their “threshold” for pain before or directly after a surgical procedure….trying to determine the level of awareness at which they feel pain. For some that level is high and they can tolerate a great deal before they feel the pain….others are not so lucky. Once that determination is made, the doctor then prescribes an aspirin or similar medication to relieve the pain. However, although that is what we think is occurring, it is not. The aspirin actually has no effect on the physical problem; rather, it only raises your threshold for pain….and by raising your threshold, you are able to endure more pain before you once again fill its damaging effects.

As Christians, we have a “spiritual” aspirin that God has given us to help us endure the pain and suffering that we encounter as we make our way across this landscape we call life. In Nehemiah 8: 10 we read, “The JOY of the Lord is your strength.”

Joy is the aspirin that God has given us to help us endure. When we spend our time in thanksgiving and praise, we will be filled with the joy of the Lord. As we come to God and our continuously reminded of His faithfulness, His joy fills our hearts; and then, when troubles and the pains of life come, we will not succumb to the damaging effects of doubt and disbelief; rather, we will be conquerors in Him.

They are many ways to experience the joy of the Lord…to find that “spiritual” aspirin when the ways of the world seem too much to bear. For King Saul, it was the harp of David that brought peace to a tortured soul….for Jesus, it was the solitude of the mountainside that brought strength for the task ahead…for me, it is a round of golf that refreshes and renews me for the battle against the enemy.

You see, when I step on the first tee and see the beauty of the blue sky; smell the freshly mowed grass; watch the flight of that little white ball as it soars through the air….I am reminded of my awesome God and the beauty of His creation. I revel in the joy of the Lord …that I am healthy in Him, both physically and spiritually and I REJOICE that I belong to Him.

Whatever problems, mistakes, miscalculations or misgivings I may be experiencing melt away as I spend time in pursuit of that ball and my Lord…it is indeed my release from all of my pain. I know that He loves me and that He is preparing a place for me ….and that some day SOON, He is coming back for me….and that thought fills me with JOY!!!!

What’s your “spiritual” aspirin that fills you with praise and adoration for you Savior? Is it listening to beautiful music or walking through a forest glen….biking across a mountain trail or reading from the Holy Scriptures….singing at the top of your lungs or whispering a simple prayer… whatever it is, do it to the glory of Him who has saved you and be filled with the joy of the Lord!

For when His joy fills your heart, your pain will diminish and you will be….Blessed Beyond Measure,

WPQ

Thought for the Day:
Life’s problems may weigh you down
Dark clouds may bring you rain
But when your joy is in the Lord
You’ll hardly feel the pain.

PS: Come back tomorrow and all next week to meet The Cast of the Crucifixion and the Cast of the Resurrection.