“There are many blessings we will never receive until we are ready to pay the price of pain, for the path of suffering is the only way to reach them.” J. R. Miller

It’s easier to accept and suffer through pain since knowing it’s meaningful. It’s not random, but for a reason. There are purposes for our pain.  

When I finally stopped trying hard to get away from it and faced my pain that was there anyway, here’s what I learned from others and figured out about its purposes. Pain has a lot to do with our chances, our choices, and our change. 

• Chance

Suffering doesn’t happen by chance, and it gives us a chance to get better. 

Our pastor preached a sermon series titled Tests, Trials, and Tribulations that helped me stop asking questions he said most of us ask about suffering: 

Why is this happening to me?

How can I get out of it as fast as possible?

Who is to blame?

Instead of questioning, I started understanding. 

Here are simple truths Pastor J.P. Miller shared about tests, trials, and tribulations: 

God tests us to promote us. Satan tempts us to fail. God knows the tests we need to go through to be ready for the job He wants us to do. 

God wants to turn every test into a testimony.  

Trials happen when we do something stupid and we have an opportunity to recognize our part, take responsibility and repent for it, and receive God’s forgiveness and help.

Tribulations are from Satan. 

As much as I wanted to ignore his existence and that of his demon buddies and overlook the realness of evil, that’s how much he wanted me to ignore it too so he could hang around and create more chaos. I’m not weird about it (well, not too weird even though I do open closet doors and cabinets), I regularly plead the blood of Jesus out loud over my home and family. 

When we recognize nothing in our lives, good or bad, happens by chance, we get more intentional about our choices and about changing. In Monday’s blog post, I’ll write about choice and change. 

In This Together, 
Kim

FYI: I’m blogging my book titled On The Other Side of Trying Hard: Healing, Happiness, and Holiness. Because the blog posts will eventually be an entire manuscript instead of stand-alone stories, some posts may leave you hanging. I hope you’ll hang in here with us anyway ‘cause a happy ending is coming. Each blog post title includes the chapter title first. The phrase in parentheses is one subheading within the chapter. I’d love to hear your reflections, questions, and suggestions. I’m over-the-top grateful you’re here.