There is Purpose in the Pain

There is purpose in the pain.

Have you ever broken a bone? I remember in my senior year of highschool, I broke my left foot while playing basketball with friends.

 I remember wanting to "fake" out my opponent by shifting all my weight to my left side then once they moved that direction, I planned to make a quick adjustment and move to the right followed by an incredible 3 point shot to bring our team to victory. "ahhhhh"....(that is the sound of thousands of fans cheering me on)...In my head, the plan seemed so grandioso and really quite perfect. In reality, I only got to impliment the first part of my genious plan. I shifted my weight over to my left and as soon as I did that I heard a pop and felt this weird sensation in my left foot. I then remember calling a timeout. Ha! I told everyone to go ahead and keep playing, and that I was just going to sit out for a few minutes...then proceeded to hop, not walk, off the court. I sat down and began to assess the crisis at hand. It wasn't until I took off my shoe and sock to see a huge, swollen, black and blue foot that I then began to hyperventilate.

After some time in the ER, it was discovered that I had a hairline fracture, also known as a ballerina break. I liked the sound of "ballerina break"...that sounded so feminine and petite...then they put an enormous, hideous, robo cop looking black walking cast on my foot that went up my leg and stopped just shy of my knee. I no longer felt dainty.

Now thankfully my ballerina break wasn't so severe that they had to rebreak it or anything. I have heard the horror stories of people who have broken their finger or their nose only to need it to be reset or rebroken in order for it to heal correctly. C'mon doc...isn't the unexpected initial break enough? The doctor doesn't do this to torture his patient...or maybe he does, and in that case you should find a new primary care physician. Most, if not all, doctors who reset a broken bone do that to ensure that when the bone heals that it heals back correctly aligned and stronger than before the break.


Even though I haven't had a physical bone reset or rebroken, I have certainly had quite a few "spiritual bones" reset and rebroken. God has had to reset many of my broken spiritual bones to ensure that when they heal (not IF they heal, but WHEN they heal) those once broken spiritual bones will be aligned correctly with God's truth and in turn will be stronger than they were before they were broken. There is purpose in the pain. Our adversities can be used two ways. We have a choice to allow our unpleasant circumstances to make us stronger and wiser...or to allow them to drive a wedge between us and our God. It's our choice. God gives us the freedom to choose him.


God promises this…"He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it"...I know that He began a good work in me so long ago at the tender age of four years old. He promises that He will be faithful to complete it. There is another great promise from God that is an incredible comfort and encouragement to me. He promises that everything we go through…every trial and tribulation…every struggle and times we have fallen…He promises that He will use it for GOOD!