It Hurts!

I saw this quote the other day on Twitter.

It Hurts!

It will hurt

And hurt

And hurt

And then

One day

It won’t!

I have to admit when I got through reading this I was bent over in laughter. It leads you to believe that some profound statement was about to be brought forth, only to end in the simple fact that one day the pain will be gone.

I’m not sure who wrote this and I not sure if this person is even a Christian but the statement above is one that is true. One day God will wipe away all tears from our eyes and there will be no more heartache, pain, nor crying. Even so come Lord Jesus!

But until then pain will continue and we will hurt, and hurt. We experience pain in so many different areas of our being. Obviously there is physical pain, but also to there is emotional pain, spiritual pain, psychological pain, and the pain that comes from being let down, disappointed, and broken relationships.

We live in a culture where people try to escape the pain through medication, drugs and alcohol, sex, and even suicide. We have been led to believe that we shouldn’t have pain because of our advance in medicine and technology and many have bought into this lie succumbing to the manipulation of pharmaceuticals, drug dealers, distilleries, and Hollywood. The Bible teaches us that pain is apart of the fallen world we live in and though we will eventually overcome it, in the meantime we will have to learn to live through it.

Even though pain is negative, there is a positive aspect to pain. Pain implies meaning. Meaning implies love. Just as much as we experience joy from someone or something we love, that someone or something can also cause us pain. When we take a chance on loving someone or something then we are also subjecting ourselves to possible let downs, disappointments, and even loss. But we would never trade away that which we love due to some pain that it may cause us from time to time.

This is what makes the cross so beautiful. It was through the pain of the cross that we experience the greatest love that we could ever experience. That’s why the writer of Hebrews said

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”Hebrews 12:1-2

This scripture teaches us that in order to have meaning in life, life must consists of love, joy, and pain. Christ endured the cross for us and we must endure our cross for Him. The only difference is Jesus carried His alone. We never have to carry ours alone. We have a God who suffered for us and suffers with us, and though we may have pain alone the way due to our fallen world, one day we will change our cross for a crown and experience the joy of everlasting life in the new heavens and new earth.

Pastor Robby