Jesus and My Emotions: Week #3- Processing Pain

Pain.

This is something that I have become somewhat of an expert on in the past two years of my life. We all know the sting of pain, whether it be emotional pain, or physical pain. If you’ve ever been injured or had to deal with an illness that causes physical pain, then you know how uncomfortable it is. You understand the frustration and the sadness that dealing with the pain oftentimes brings. In the same way, dealing with emotional pain can be just as difficult. Any sort of trauma like grief, depression, or even disappointment can spark a fire of emotional pain that can sometimes burn away at your peace of mind and sanity. The point I am trying to make is that pain is hard to bear, no matter what shape or form it comes in.

I’ve been thinking a lot about pain lately, and how God wants me to process it as a believer. In this season of my life, I am often prone to chronic physical pain that causes a lot of discomfort and frustration. The physical pain that I often deal with ultimately causes emotional pain, and I often find myself struggling to grapple with the intensity of it all. In moments like these, I attempt to negotiate why it is that a good God would allow such pain into my life? Why is it that I have to walk through something so difficult, when I know that He can bring healing to my body and my circumstances? Have you ever asked this question? I think, deep down, we all wrestle with questions like these, and that’s okay. Walking this journey has not been an easy one, but God has taught me, not to accept that the pain I feel will always be a part of my life, but to see it through a different perspective. When you’re walking through something hard, it’s easy to focus on the bad. It’s easy to meditate on everything that is wrong, or everything that can go wrong about the situation. We all do this at times, however, God has taught me that in moments of pain, instead of focusing on what’s wrong, I must look at the situation through the lens of scripture. What does God’s word say about it? What promises do I have access to as a child of God regarding my situation? Whenever I turn to God’s word amid my pain, my hope is renewed and I am reminded that despite how things may seem in my life right now, God’s word is true and once I continue to believe, the healing that I am praying and believing for will come.

In the midst of my pain, God has also taught me that instead of allowing pain to push me away from Him, it should make me pursue Him even more, because only He can truly provide the sort of comfort that I need in the midst of it. I know what it’s like to deal with painful situations that cause you to drift away from God. You become so disappointed and confused that the only thing you know to do is focus on things that distract you from your pain, and often, these things are not what God has in His plan for us. If that’s you, I understand—I’ve been there. However, in the midst of your pain, cling to Jesus. Cry out to Him, pray to Him, ask Him for the strength that you need to overcome it. Whenever I think about the importance of turning to Jesus in the midst of pain, I remember the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5. She had been suffering for twelve years, and experienced not only the physical pain of bleeding, but the emotional trauma of wasting all of her money visiting countless doctors who could not help her. If you ask me, this woman had all the right to turn away and stop believing, however, she didn’t allow her pain to plunge into hopelessness; instead, she pursued Jesus. She pushed through a crowd and fought until she could touch the hem of His garment, and in the end, she was freed from her suffering. In the midst of your pain, cling to Jesus. Do all that you can to remain close to Him. In Him is the healing and freedom that you desire.

There’s so much that walking through pain has taught me in life. The journey is definitely not an easy one, but I am always reminded that in the midst of it all, God has a plan, and it is for my good (Jeremiah 29:11). The same is true for you. Whatever pain it is that you may be walking through right now, whether it be physical or emotional, remember that peace of mind is available to you in the midst of it. Pain doesn’t have to control your life. Remain in God’s word and remain close to Him. It is only in Him that we can find true peace and the healing that we need.