Yesterday I wrote about "Gratefulness in Pain." Many of you said, "Nope! Not going to read it." My readership plummeted.
That's a shame because I think that it is a really good devotion for the day.
But I get it.
We live in a world full of pain. It dispenses pain like a gumball machine. We get up in the morning and go to bed with it. And who likes pain? If we loved it, we would have named it Double Chocolate Fudge Carmel Heavenly Bites.
1 Chronicles 4:10, Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!" And God granted what he asked.
So here is the interesting thing about this prayer. Jabez means, "born in pain." Childbirth was so painful that his mother named him literally, "Pain." (So no, you may not name your next child Jabez).
But Jabez prays, keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain. In order to pray that prayer he first had to embrace who he was. This exposes his reality. He has to let go of the shame he carries and embrace the pain that it brings.
Let me put it another way. Avoiding pain will not make it go away. Embracing it and allowing the grace of God to help you deal with it does.
Ask God for what you need.
Ask God to help deal with your pain.
Accept who you are right now and don't be afraid of your pain.
Accept who you are right now and don't be angry about your pain.
Don't pass the buck. Your pain is your pain.
PRAY: Dear Jesus
PS, Want to read yesterdays blog? The link is below.
That's a shame because I think that it is a really good devotion for the day.
But I get it.
We live in a world full of pain. It dispenses pain like a gumball machine. We get up in the morning and go to bed with it. And who likes pain? If we loved it, we would have named it Double Chocolate Fudge Carmel Heavenly Bites.
1 Chronicles 4:10, Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!" And God granted what he asked.
So here is the interesting thing about this prayer. Jabez means, "born in pain." Childbirth was so painful that his mother named him literally, "Pain." (So no, you may not name your next child Jabez).
But Jabez prays, keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain. In order to pray that prayer he first had to embrace who he was. This exposes his reality. He has to let go of the shame he carries and embrace the pain that it brings.
Let me put it another way. Avoiding pain will not make it go away. Embracing it and allowing the grace of God to help you deal with it does.
Ask God for what you need.
Ask God to help deal with your pain.
Accept who you are right now and don't be afraid of your pain.
Accept who you are right now and don't be angry about your pain.
Don't pass the buck. Your pain is your pain.
PRAY: Dear Jesus
PS, Want to read yesterdays blog? The link is below.
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