But what if pain was created to be good for us; to allow us to move from one season to the next. Without the pain of labour there would be no child; without the winter where the tress loose their leaves, there would be no new life in spring.
The other day I was walking in Jonkershoek, and the green leaves where a colour I have not seen before, they were the BRIGHTEST green. And I remembered there were terrible fires four months before. And it is because of the fire that beauty has come.. It reminded me of the principle that after death there is always new life. But to get to new life, death first needs to occur.
Are we willing to embrace the pain, embrace the fire, so that we may be found to have genuine faith? 1 Peter 1:7 "These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
It is only through God's strength, and praying like Jesus, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42) that we are able to face our Gethsemane. The beautiful thing is we are never alone- "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4. God is with us in the pain, in the valley of death. He is not afraid of your pain, He is not afraid of your dark. He is right there beside you- leading and guiding you through it.
"May the Lord bless you to embrace the pain, May He keep you even in hard times, May His face shine upon you by knowing He is there ALWAYS, May He be gracious to you in all seasons, may His face turn towards you and may He give you a peace even in the fire"
