The Purpose of Pain
Your darkness can one day bring someone light. A person who’s been through a divorce has the compassion and words needed to help somebody going through a divorce. A person who’s been through abuse, rape, or an addiction can genuinely understand how to help someone else in a similar situation.
And because you made it, God will cause your wounds to glow in the dark of somebody else’s life. And when you begin to share your story with them, hope will get in their soul, and they will start to believe that they can make it.
Don’t waste what you’ve gone through or allow it to make you bitter. If God lets you walk through it, it’s because He’s still God and has a plan. On five different occasions, the Apostle Paul was beaten with 39 stripes. That’s 195 scars on his body. Paul said, “Three times I was beaten with rods.
One time, I was stoned and left for dead. Three times, I suffered shipwrecks. I knew what it was to be afloat in the ocean a full day and night. I thought I would die, but I’m telling you that I have learned something.” How did Paul react to these hard times? He kept on praising.
God. He kept on loving God. He kept on serving faithfully. And he said, “God comforted me with such a comfort that I can use what I’ve been through to encourage others.” And Paul’s attitude toward suffering still encourages us today.
At the end of his story, Paul wrote, “But we know all things work together for the good,” and here’s the key, “to them that love God.” So, what do you do when hard times come? You keep loving God.
You love Him if you’re winning, and you love Him if you’re losing. If you can keep your love for God through anything this world hits you with, your wounds will never be wasted. There is purpose in your pain.
