Living Through Pain (part 2)

Recently my church had a series called “When Life Hurts Most” that really expounded on my previous post about living through pain.  Many people commented about that post through personal e-mail and shared their own experiences with me, so I would like to add what I learned from our recent series.  (Incidentally, I love hearing your comments and stories and if you don’t feel comfortable posting it on my site just say “great post” or some such under the comment section and then send me a personal e-mail.  That way it will actually look like people read this stuff!)

In my previous post, I stated that FAITH is being able to grab a hold of what you can’t feel, but you know is there.  To add to that, FAITH is continuing to live your life even though there are unanswered questions.  The book of Job was the first book of the Bible written.  Why?  It is a book filled with unanswered questions.  It is a frustrating book, because in my mind, Job asks some very good questions.  Most of them boil down to “Why, Lord, are you allowing me to suffer?”  That is really the universal question.  If God is so good, why is there still pain?  Why do I have to live with depression?  Why do I have days that it is a struggle to get out of bed?  Why do some people that drink and smoke their whole life have no health problems when my patient who loves You very much has to suffer through cancer?  Why do young children die?  Why is there starvation in the world?  WHY, WHY, Why?  Add you own list of why’s.  We all have them.  Of all people, Job definitely had a right to ask why.  He was an upright man who even God said of him, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” (Job 1:8) Job suffered as much as any person, except Jesus, has ever suffered.  I think he had a right to ask why.  Did God answer his question?  Did God tell him why he was suffering?  No, He did not.  When I read through Job the first time and came to the heading, “God Answers Job“, I became excited.  Finally, answers to the universal question!  God is going to tell me why we suffer!  But to my great disappointment, God answered with a series of questions of His own.  “Where were you when I created the earth? Did you command the morning to appear?  Can you make it rain?  Can you count the clouds?  Can you make lightning appear? Did you create the creatures of the earth?”  These are rhetorical questions in which God says “I AM WHO I AM and that is all you need to know.”   What was Job’s response?  “I am nothing, how could I ever find the answers? I have said too much already.  I have nothing more to say.” (Job 40:4-5) Job was left with unanswered question to why he was suffering.  But, he was left with the knowledge of God, and that was all he needed.

Christian Reger, a Dachau Survivor, had this to say about his suffering: “Nietzhe said a man can undergo torture if he knows the why of his life, but I, here at Dachau, learned something far greater.  I learned to know the Who of my life.  He was enough to sustain me then, and he is enough to sustain me still.”

Paul was given a “thorn in his flesh” to remind him that it is not about WHY, but about WHO.   “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.  Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need.  My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” (2 Cor 12:6-9) I don’t believe we are told what Paul’s thorn was because we are all given a “thorn” to keep us from becoming proud and to remind us that God is all we need.

So again: to me FAITH is living my life even though it appears to be defined by my pain; continuing on with my responsibilities when I feel I have been let down by God;  waking up each morining and knowing God is with me even though I can’t feel Him; trusting in Him even though it appears hopeless; praying to Him even though I’ve prayed the same thing a million times before.  FAITH is LIVING THROUGH THE PAIN EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE UNASWERED QUESTIONS.

Tagged as: bible, depression, faith, jesus, pain, suffering, weakness