The Joy of Aches and Pains
Today I am reminded that I can find joy through my physical and emotional aches and pains. In a few weeks I will be at the six year anniversary of a 23 day stay in the hospital where I was very sick with the flu and pneumonia. Five days after entering the hospital I woke up alone in a room with tubes and machines helping my body to function. I do not remember anything that occurred during those five days but have been told I was in and out of consciousness during that time. Oxygen was being forced into my lungs to keep my oxygen levels up for survival. My physical life was changed forever.
Today I suffer from constant aches, pains, and fatigue, struggling to catch my breath after simple activities like walking up a flight of stairs or taking the trash out. I spent the first 1 1/2 years after leaving the hospital hauling an oxygen machine around with me as reminder of the damage my lungs had sustained. By God’s grace and hard work in pulmonary therapy for 8 months I am now able to function without the extra oxygen.
I do however still have one constant reminder of this experience though. A walker. I use a walker pretty much everywhere I go. I use it for balance and to have a place to sit when I need to catch my breath. I have learned much about the sovereignty and providence of God through this experience. My faith and confidence in the God’s control over life is stronger than ever.
Our troubles should not diminish our faith or disillusion us. We should realize that there is a purpose in our suffering. Problems and human limitations have several benefits: (1) They remind us of Christ’s suffering for us; (2) they keep us from pride; (3) they cause us to look beyond this brief life; (4) they give us opportunities to prove our faith to others; and (5) they give God the opportunity to demonstrate his power. We should see our troubles as opportunities!
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. —2 Co 4:17–18.
Our ultimate hope when we are experiencing terrible illness, persecution, or pain is the realization that this life is not all there is—there is life after death! Knowing that we will live forever with God in a place without sin and suffering can help us live above the pain that we face in this life.
Love life and live large and thank God for your life. It’s the only one you get.
