Have you ever felt like running away from your problems?
Sometimes life can get so difficult or so painful that we simply want to run away and escape it all.
A friend of mine has spent many years praying for her son. He chose a life of drugs and poor relationships and could barely keep down a job. My friend never gave up hope. She continued to battle for her son. She prayed and practically helped him, all the while sharing many tears. It broke her heart to see him hurt and lost and struggling in life. But she continued to stand strong.
Then one day about 20 years later her son reached out to her and she led him back to Jesus. His life has been totally transformed.
In Jesus final hours on the cross, we read that His mother, sister and close friends were there. Some of these people had been there from the beginning. They had journeyed with Jesus all his life and here they were in His last agonising hours. I cannot imagine how excruciating it was for Jesus mother to see her son in so much agony on the cross.
Sometimes when life gets painful our first instinct can be to run. We want to get as far away as possible from the pain and suffering. It feels overwhelming to face the pain so we would much rather run away and hide.
You may find yourself in this season right now! You desperately want to run.
But what if God is asking you to stay?
After Jesus died some of these very same women went to the tomb. Even after all they had witnessed and the deep sorrow they experienced they went early in the morning to prepare Jesus body for burial. To their shock and amasement they found the tomb empty!
The same women who stood their ground in the pain had the privilege of being the first to witness the miracle of Jesus resurrection.
We live in a world where it is very easy to run away from the pain. There is a number of things we can go to that help us avoid or escape from the pain. But what if standing our ground in the pain gives us a front row to the birth of a miracle?
Pain is hard but there is so much that we learn in it. We learn that our capacity is more than we think. We learn the value of perseverance and we learn so much about God and His refuge in the pain.
My friend persevered through years of pain and wept countless tears for her son but now she rejoices in him and that the journey of pain was not wasted but worth it.
Lord,
I really struggle with painful situations especially when it involves those I love. Please help me to be a person that persevered through the pain and sees Your goodness, not only through the pain but also in the outcome.
Amen
