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When Pain Is a Good Thing

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

– C.S. Lewis

It’s deep into football season.

Some players have been sidelined with season-ending injuries, while others limp through the games. In a 2016 ESPN article entitled “How NFL Players Play through the Pain,” staff writer and veteran football player Matt Bowen asserted that nobody on the field after October is truly healthy. The players maximize their ability to play through careful management of their injuries during the week and an injection of Toradol, jokingly referred to as “Vitamin T,” on game day. They know that the pain will come back with a vengeance afterward. The next day may be more brutal, in fact, than when the injury first happened.

For the players, it’s about managing the pain and making it through the important days. For them, the goal is to earn a win for their team and a healthy paycheck for themselves.

For those of us who are not athletes, it may be hard to understand those willing to put their bodies through all that just for a game. It feels wrong to purposely play through a sensation that keeps warning you to stop.

Physical pain, after all, is the body’s messenger, informing us that something is wrong. In that respect, it’s also our friend, because if we didn’t have pain, we would be constantly injuring ourselves. Pain tells us to stop what we’re doing and make an assessment. Sometimes it’s the wake-up call that inspires us to totally change our lifestyles.

Emotional pain may have different causes, but it, too, is God’s shout to us. It’s jarring and perhaps harder to bear than physical pain. It can’t be managed with something as simple as “Vitamin T.”

This kind of pain drives us to ask the questions God wants to answer.

It takes us down and makes us look up. Suffering is the taskmaster that drives us to the Deliverer. In the same way physical pain sends us the urgent message to look for the source of injury or illness, emotional pain sends us an unmistakable message that it’s time to search out our Comforter and Healer.

Pain is a good thing when it awakens us to a new understanding of who we are and what we need to do to find healing. Life is more precious than any game. The stakes are higher, the victory sweeter.

If you're hurting today, God is near, whether it feels like it or not. He'd love to hear from you. He's waiting, and He cares. Talk to Him about what you're feeling, and listen to His Word for you. It will come. There is a reason for the pain and a source for the healing.

You're going to get through this.

 

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

– 1 Peter 5:10

Hungry for More? Discover a Vault of Comfort and Inspiration at CMADDICT.com.

Today's devotional is shared from the treasury of Slightly Obsessed at cmaddict.com. Whether you're slightly obsessed about living for Jesus, totally possessed with hunger for His presence, or just want to learn more about who He is, we invite you to discover new courage for the day in one of the over 260 inspirational articles by longtime caregiver and author Pam Thorson. 

Credits:

https://www.kevinhalloran.net/best-c-s-lewis-quotes/
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/14564481/how-nfl-players-play-pain

From Strength to Strength: Scriptures to Encourage You in the New Year

 

Living from Strength to Strength

When our middle son suffered a spinal cord injury in 1997, we refused both a push for euthanasia and a nursing home for him. In more than twenty-five years of caregiving, we've never looked back. We have learned much about the value of life, the comfort or our God, and the joy of serving a beloved son. 

Like all families, ours has weathered its share of storms. 

We had no idea how we were going to navigate the changes in our lives as a result of Kevin's injury. The path ahead seemed impassible. In fact, we were told repeatedly it would be impossible to care for him at home. But we stepped into the unknown, and God met us there. It has been a long and fearsome crossing through the valley of the shadow, but the Lord has been our light every step of the way. We have been blessed and honored to be a part of God's great work of lifegiving. Jesus...and Kevin...have taught us much about living out our faith in brokenness. 

In the coming year, we pray that the Lord will bring you peace, comfort, and strength as you arise each day to care for a loved one. May you rest in the knowledge you are God's hands and feet and heart for the hurting. As you sacrifice for others, may you remember the Savior's sacrifice for you and rejoice that He cared that much. 

Below are eleven Bible verses we lean on in the tough times. May you be blessed and strengthened for your caregiving journey in the coming new year!

1. Psalm 34:5-7

I sought the LORD and He answered me,

And rescued me from all my fears.

They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces will never be ashamed.

This wretched man cried out, and the LORD heard him,

And saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him.

And rescues them.

2. Psalm 34:18

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

3. Hebrews 6:10

For God is not unjust so as to forget your work

and the love which you have shown toward His name,

in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.

4. Romans 8:18

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time

 are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 

5. Ephesians 6:11

Put on the full armor of God,

so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

6. Romans 14:4

To his own master he stands or falls;

and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

7. 2 Chronicles 16:9

For the eyes of the LORD roam throughout the earth,

so that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.

 

8. Matthew 25:35-40

For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat;

 I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; 

I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 

naked, and you clothed Me; 

I was sick, and you visited Me; 

I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 

Then the righteous will answer Him,

 ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?

 And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 

And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 

And the King will answer and say to them, 

‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’

9. Matthew 11:28-29

Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls. 

For my yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.

10. Psalm 18:2

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer,

 My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;

 My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

11. 1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable,

 always excelling in the work of the Lord, 

knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

10 Words That Describe A Caregiver

What Caregivers Really Love

If you know someone who is a caregiver, you've probably had the frustration of wanting to help but not knowing what you can do. In the past, we've shared some ideas for helping a caregiver you love.

This past Valentine's Day reminded me of one simple thing you can do that will really mean a lot.

Give them a special dinner.

Years ago, my mother and my eldest daughter conspired to put on a "Sweetheart Dinner" for the family on Valentine's Day. It was a sit-down dinner, complete with candles and the good dishes. Each person had a valentine on their plate. They decorated the table beautifully and made a lovely meal.

It was a hit. On a day usually reserved for celebrating passion and romance, it was refreshing to see the family expressing Godly devotion for each other. We continued it for years.

Then our daughter left home, got married, and started her own family. Our son was paralyzed in an accident, and we became his full-time caregivers. The sweetheart dinner fell to the wayside for us. But our daughter continued it with her family.

This year, on a whim, I revived it in our own home. We made a simple meal, lit the candles, and made sure there were plenty of flowers and candy.

Once again, it was a hit. As I thought about it later, I realized why. People aren't used to having others do something lavishly nice just for them, just because they have value in someone's eyes.

Caregiving is a lonely job. It's easy to feel lost in the duties and hard work. It's tough to hang on to our own sense of person-hood sometimes on this journey.

If you really want to encourage someone you know who is a caregiver, give her (or him) a sit-down dinner. The food doesn't have to be exotic. Just light lots of candles, use the good dishes, and let her know that she is appreciated and loved for who she is.

You don't have to spend a lot of money, either. Be creative. Instead of gifts at the plates, set out little scrolls of inspirational Bible verses or quotes from your favorite authors, tied with ribbons. If they can't leave their own homes, take the dinner to them. Sit down with them, listen to their stories, and enjoy a leisurely meal. It doesn't even have to be at a holiday. You can make any day a celebration by bringing joy into the gray lives of someone around you.

Yes, it will challenge you to step beyond your comfort level--just like they have to do every day.

The idea that you cared enough to invest time in them will refill their tired souls. Caregivers know how precious time is. It will bless them.

I promise.

Never Give Up

I awakened this morning to snow…again. This is one of the longest winters I can remember, and as I face the prospect of another gray day, spring seems to be a distant hope.

The morning drudgery is brightened by a steaming cup of coffee and my quiet time. I’m reading about Joseph in Egypt. As a youth, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and unjustly accused of a crime against his master. It appeared that he would be in prison indefinitely, the dreams of his youth dead.

But in a day, his life reversed as God put into motion the events that would free him and bring him into the place for which God had prepared him. Those years in prison taught him humility and the grace of his Lord. Without the gray days, he would have never been ready for the job God had for him.

As I sit by my computer this morning, two dozen robins have flown in from their winter retreat to set up housekeeping. They hop along the ground like popcorn, seemingly oblivious to the cold. It doesn’t look like spring yet, but they know better. It is coming. It’s the great law of nature: Spring always comes.

Recently, the local paper did an article on Song in the Night and the story of our family. When the reporter asked our quadriplegic son Kevin if he wanted to tell something to the readers, he told her, “Never give up.” We can’t give up, because God can reverse any situation whenever He chooses. We never know how close we are to deliverance and victory. Winter never lasts forever.

Spring comes, and with it, new hope.