When Life Hurts

Have you ever been chewing along on something delightfully yummy – when all of the sudden your teeth choose to bite the side of your mouth instead? “Ow,” you immediately wince with pain – and the moment is anything but delightful. Then, for some reason, the next week or so finds you continually biting the same sore place – causing more pain?

Or you whack your knee on that "poorly positioned" piece of furniture – at least its "poorly positioned" when the lights are out – and the bruise seems to attract other “poorly positioned” pieces – or car door's shutting – or child’s feet, and every time it hits that bruise the pains a little worse.

What about the hurtful words? “Sticks and stones may break my bones –but words can never hurt me. . .” Well, it may work for someone somewhere, but most of us don’t have a “thick enough skin” or should we say, “calloused enough heart” that nothing ever penetrates. Words do hurt. For some reason, it seems like hurts travel in “packs” like wolves – or “schools” like fish.

We aren’t going to get through life without pain. We have our “fallen ancestors” to thank for the introduction of sin into the beautiful, then paradise called earth. We too have partaken in the sin which always results in heartbreak. Sometimes we are hit with physical conditions simply resulting from the fallen world we live in, or dealing with circumstances we didn’t create, but find ourselves caught in – sort of like and actor or actress in a drama we didn’t exactly audition to be in. What then?

As I read in Mark one morning, something stood out to me like never before. I found the golden nugget in Chapter 5, verse 33. This woman had been through a life-time of struggle. Physically, there was no doctor who could help her. Her funds had been exhausted – as well as her emotions and her body. When she heard of Jesus she knew. He was her only hope.

She doesn’t give up easily – or just wait for Him to come to her. She was on a mission. Steadily she pushed her way through the crowd, thinking over and over, “If I can only touch the hem of His garment.”

Amazing faith! She wasn’t asking for “an hour with the Master,” she just wanted to touch his garment. Then, when her healing had taken place, and Jesus knew – He wanted to know who had touched Him.

This is what stood out to me. She was so afraid that she was trembling but she fell down before Him and told HIM, “THE WHOLE TRUTH.”

She didn’t try to run and hide, or sugar coat the incident. Right there, in the crowd, she opened up her heart and her mouth and simply told him the whole truth.

The pain we experience has one resting place – the heart of the Savior. He holds our healing or our grace – whatever we need lies in Him.

“Where is the healing when life hurts?

Where is the ointment for my pain?

Who can I lean on in struggle? Then, I recall – He’s the same.

Yesterday, He never failed.

Today, He’s there again.

And I can rely, He’ll be there tomorrow –

Changeless, my Savior and Friend.”

Janene A. Dubbeld/FGG

Take it With You

“Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”       Psalm 62:8