Purpose in Pain

I didn't have time to post this last night, so this is for Tuesday, actually.

I read a devotional yesterday that was called Finding Purpose in Pain. It used the verse...

"But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren." Deuteronomy 4:9

Often it is during times of prosperity that we will forget God. Prosperity has a tendency to make people proud and self sufficient. We don't think we need God when we have our salary and our investments and our career and our home and our health and our family. But when the economy goes south or a stock market crashed or a home burns down, then hopefully we turn to God and are reminded of what really matters. Adversity levels us and keeps us humble.

Why is it that whenever pain hits, when tragedy strikes, we pray - we pray a lot! I know pain reminds us of a deeper need: the need for God in our lives.

This all struck me yesterday for MANY reason: first of all, I had a great conversation with a dear friend who is currently going through a divorce. She has been on a roller coaster ride for the past 9 or 10 months with this whole ordeal. I look at her and I am amazed at the faith and love of God SHE STILL carries with her. Many times we could find people giving up on the hope of God to bring them through this pain of suffering. She looks the other way, she has continually looked to God for guidance and has never stopped praying daily, that God would somehow bring her and her 2 children through this pain they are feeling.

Then...I see on TV and on the Internet about the horrible tragedy that took place last Thursday with the shooting at Fort Hood with the soldiers. Today, Tuesday actually, they had the memorial for it and I was able to see parts of it through the Internet. It just brought pain to me to see the horrible things that can happen, when we think we are safe! Yeah, it made me worry for my life and for the ones I love. Are we ever really safe?

So then I think to myself? I feel VERY blessed today! I have no family things going on that are tragedy, like a divorce or disease or death. All I have going on is my parents moving away, but that isn't even that bad when I think about the other things I could be facing. Ben and I have a great marriage of only 1 year and 3 months, but we are happy. Sure our finances could be better, but so could every body else. God is still providing with food each day and a place to stay, as well as a few treats every so often. We both have jobs! And right now in this world, that is a HUGE blessing, if you ask me.

Whats the point of me writing this? Well, it's more for me to see that I am blessed and that even when things are going well, I need to be talking and praising God for those things. Now, on the other side, it makes me wonder what God has in store sometimes. I can't imagine going through some things that people I know are going through. Is there something coming up that God is preparing me for? Or is it just simply that God is showing me daily we need to be trusting God and looking to Him in EVERYTHING?

Well, I think it is just that, I think God is showing me how no matter what you might be facing, God has a purpose in the pain and also a purpose in the joy!