From Pain to Purpose -

“A loss is never the end of a story, especially in this case. No, this loss was the beginning of much to gain, even if it had to blossom out of my pain.”

Is there a way to rise to the top of the pain you’re drowning in? Yes, let go of the anchor that is keeping you below the surface. In many cases, that “anchor” is our mindset. Pain was the enemy’s tactic to take you out. Purpose is what God has given you to keep going. Let’s give our hurt to God and watch him take us from pain to purpose.

DOES GOD CAUSE OUR PAIN?

Our pain does not come from God, but the enemy will do everything in his power to get us to believe that it does. He will send us questions that are perfectly disguised to align with our pain: Why do we go through pain if God is real? Why do bad things happen to good people? If God says He will never leave us or forsake us then where was He when I got hurt?

I know, some of these questions/ thoughts have run through your head and I am not judging you because I have had them too. I’ve actually gone a step further than just letting those questions rest at the forefront of my mind, I have asked God all of them, with anger and tears.

THE Shack

I came across the movie The Shack a couple years ago. I am going to link the scene that fits perfectly with what we are discussing. A man loses his little girl and finds out that she was murdered. He is filled with hurt, anger, confusion, and resentment towards God. Then he gets to meet God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The scene that I have linked down below is a conversation between the man and God. I ask that you click the link and watch the scene before reading any further.

Clip from movie, The Shack

That scene right there answers the questions stated above better than I could have explained it. The most heartfelt moment out of that scene for me was when, Mac, is questioning God about abandoning him, his little girl, and even abandoning Jesus on the cross. Then God shows his wrist and there is a hole in it. He says, “Don’t ever think that what my Son chose to do didn’t cost us both dearly. Love always leaves a mark. We were there together. I never left him. I never left you. And I never left Missy (Mac’s daughter).”

Is Pain blinding You?

Mac was given a new perspective after that encounter and so was I. Friends, God means his word. He is not one to give out empty promises. God does not stay with us when things are going great only to abandon us once things get hard or painful. He is right there and He feels our pain. That movie did an incredible job displaying that. In the movie God says, “When all you see is your pain, you lose sight of me.”

When all you see is your pain, you lose sight of me.

The times that I focus on my situation and the pain that I am feeling, It is hard to see God. It’s when I rise above, that I don’t feel like I’m swimming against a current anymore. I feel like I’m floating- And with floating you may go around in circles, you may move forward, only to then move backwards- But you are not sinking. Oftentimes, that’s what it feels like when you go on a journey of healing with God. It doesn’t mean you’re not gonna experience pain, but it does mean that God will sustain you even on the days you have to backtrack. Not only does God know what He’s doing, He know what you need.

When “why” is left unanswered

I did not hold back my feelings when talking to God about what was hurting me. I let him in completely.

There are times when we do feel like we are drowning in our pain- Perhaps it’s because we continue trying to carry the weight of something that only God can bear? While reflecting, I noticed that I often ask and journal to God with the question “why.” Sometimes God reveals the why to me, but there are other times when I’m not given the answer to my why’s. But I know if God wanted me to know something, He would tell me. And when certain things or details are not given to me, it’s because I can’t handle them- And God loves us too much to add to our pain.

If we take this all the way back to Adam and Eve, we know the pain that came from “knowing it all” and seeing everything only God was intended to have access to. To be completely honest, knowing why they inflicted that pain wouldn’t change the fact that they inflicted that pain. But there is a comforting truth to keep in mind:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Learning to Surrender

Surrender is a word that comes to mind. And surrender is what I would learn to do with my pain. I may never understand why that person did what they did and for the longest time I never understood why God didn’t stop it. He knew what the person was about to do and how their actions would hurt me-so why didn’t He stop it?

Friends, the answer is free will. It’s a hard concept to understand or be okay with, but God doesn’t force people to make the right choices. Everyone is given a choice and what they decide to do is up to them. What breaks our hearts, breaks God’s too. And in the midst of our pain, He is right there with us. Meditating on the above verse, Philippians 4:6-7, helps with not understanding certain things.

Friends, I encourage you to pray to the Lord and ask him to help you surrender your pain and for him to fill you with his peace.

Pain to Purpose

I have mentioned the book, It’s Not Supposed To Be This Way by Lysa TurKuerest, several times. That’s because this book changed my life. It was exactly what I needed, it was exactly how I was feeling. There’s a part that says:

“Perfection Intimidates. Compassion inspires. And in that you will finally find your why. Why did all of this happen? Because there’s someone else in the world that would drown in their own tears if not seeing yours. And when you make one other human simply see they aren’t alone, you make the world a better place.”
Lysa Turkuerest

Finding My Why

I circled that with tears streaming down my face and wrote the word blog next to it. I knew at that moment that I would use my words to encourage others. My stories would be shared so others would see the imperfections in my life and be able to connect. And simply allow others to feel less alone. I would use my words to give hope to someone just like this book gave hope to me. And most of all I would trust God to turn my pain into his purpose.

And friends, that’s how God can and will use your pain and turn it into purpose glorifying him.

He is able to see more than we can. God knew that the pain caused would be no match for the purpose that would be fulfilled, stemming from it.

Healing From heartbreak

Friends,

That concludes the healing from heartbreak series, I hope that whoever you are or whenever you stumble upon this series, you are able to see that you are not alone and others have gone through what you are facing. I hope that in the midst of your pain, you will realize God never abandoned you and can help you heal your heart. I pray that you would be bold and confident in the Lord, sharing your testimony with others.

My inboxes are always open to you- And I look forward to hearing from you, friend.

With love, Emilee