Is it good?
Read time: 6 mins
“Out of all the families on earth, I picked you. Therefore, because of your special calling, I’m holding you responsible for all your sins.”
Amos 3:2 MSG
What if pain was a good thing? What if pressure was a sign of something great? I’m learning that leaning into what's uncomfortable is typically the best decision I can make. Do I do it all the time? No. Do I like pain? Definitely not. But I am noticing that the process God uses to produce purpose is often fueled by pain and if I truly want what He wants for me, I need to open myself up to suffering.
The counter-cultural mindset that God's kingdom has at its foundation is the idea that running towards pain instead of away from it is often where we find the success we’re looking for. Running towards the storm often gets you out of the rain and into peace faster and dryer than running away from it would.
Philippians chapter two reminds us that the elevation and highest honor Jesus received was made possible because of the humility and sacrifice He displayed. And the same is true in our lives. While pride comes before a fall, Jesus’ life showed us that purposeful pain leads to the prolific promise we desire. This is paradoxically against the logic that reigns in our human worlds. But Jesus is trying to show us the mindsets that govern His kingdom. In order to go up, you must get low. In order to receive an abundance of blessings, you must be ok with a cup of suffering. Radical humility is the prerequisite to honor.
In order to know the mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead, you have to be open to experiencing the death that made resurrection possible. It’s this mindset that allowed Paul to find the value in suffering. It’s this mindset that allows us to count it all joy when trials come.
God is a recycling plant that doesn’t waste suffering. Each ounce of brokenness is extracted and enabled to produce tenfold its weight in blessings. So if we truly desire the infinite intimacy that is life eternally with Christ, we should have a shift in how we label the momentary madness here on earth. What if we started viewing pain as our currency? Would we try to invest more early to receive bigger dividends later? If we truly believed that this life was but a vapor or momentary twinkle of an eye that is simply a precursor to eternal bliss with our Savior in heaven, would we keep running from and prolonging the gifts of pain that God promises to use to prepare us?
This passage is an interesting one. You’d think that being God's favorite is an exemption from storms. You’d think being the chosen one garnered special treatment. Some versions say we are the only ones He’s been intimate with, known, and cared for. You’d expect for that special treatment to be an acquittal from the consequences of our sin. But no. God says, “I must punish you because of how much I love you.”
I love how Ty Gibson urges us to build our theology off of the assumption that “God is good and God is love.” That basis helps us seek understanding in the study of our world or exegesis of the Bible until we can see at least a glimpse of God’s goodness in it.
Could it be that this punishment or allotment of pain isn't all bad? Could God give discipline to those He loves because it is good for them? If a college coach gave their star player extra drills so that they would be good enough to reach their dream of playing in the NBA, we'd call them a good coach. If a teacher pushed their favorite student to study more so that they could be admitted into the college of their dreams, we'd call them a good teacher.
On the other hand, if a coach never confronted their players when they made a mistake or a teacher never corrected their students when they got something wrong, they'd be bad at their jobs.
Could it be that God allows the painful consequences of our sins and mistakes because their purpose is to get us closer to the dreams and desires of good He has for us? Could it be that the pain of correction is supposed to function like the bumpers on a bowling lane, guiding us to the goal we had originally set out for when we start to stray? Could it be that the storms of life we experience are allowed so that we can be pushed back to God and closer than ever before? Our goal was intimacy with Him, right? Paul tells us that the present trials are nothing compared to the infinite bliss that is being close to Christ.
Pain is wasted when we fail to let it lead us back to God and the peace He desperately wants us to experience. Psalm 23 reminds us that His rod and staff bring comfort. Tools of dense strikes and guiding pressure lead us to comfort. Maybe good people go through bad things because pain is a blessing in disguise addressed right to our front doors and if we would just open the package we would receive more than we ever knew we needed.
H. Beecher Hicks, Jr. in his book Preaching Through a Storm, touches on the pastoral postulate that most preachers only really have one sermon and one audience member. Many sermons are textual rearrangements of the same idea or theme targeted to the same person. That person often being the preacher, and the theme often is what God has been trying to fix in them. I submit that to you as a way of saying that you are not the primary audience member in this message. My passions are prompted to dissect this concept because this is what God has been trying to teach me.
I don't like pain. I don't like discomfort. I don't even like risking the event of failure. I like sticking to what I know when the stakes are low. I like low-risk and high-reward situations. But I am honest enough to recognize that my biggest moments of pain were the precursors to my greatest moments of growth and triumph. Yet, I still often hold myself back from the promises and blessings that I know God has for me because I don't wanna go through the pain that precedes them.
Maybe God allows pain so that I experience the purpose I desperately crave. Maybe every hurdle is a chance to know Him deeper. Maybe God has allowed me to fail on my own so that I can see that He is really all I need to succeed.
Maybe God has allowed hardship so that you, like Paul, can refer to Jesus as your secret weapon for making it through any situation. Maybe you are allowed to experience giants, betrayal, and battles David experienced so that you too can be sure that “God is your refuge and strength.” I know pain hurts. It sucks. But maybe God allows it because He really plans on using all of it for your good. Maybe this pain has a promising purpose.
I think it's time to change how we view pain. It’s time to change how we view uncomfortable situations. It’s all an opportunity to grow into who we were destined to be. If you want to be stronger, you can't be afraid to lift. If you want to be faster, you can't be afraid to run. If you want to be a better leader, God will give you hard people to lead like He did with Moses. If you want to be trusted to supply the needs of slaves and prisoners, God will make sure you can empathize with them like He did with Joseph.
If we really want to make the NBA, we shouldn’t run from workouts, we should run toward them. The hurt in your marriage is designed to grow you. The issues at your job are designed to be an on-ramp to what you’ve been praying for. The hard conversations with your loved ones are there to give you what you didn't even know you needed. All through the book of Proverbs we get the sentiment echoed that wise people love correction and fools hate discipline. It’s time to lean into hard things. It’s time to see the value in correction. It’s time to see responsibility as a gift.
”And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.“
Hebrews 12:5-11 NIV
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This devotional series often hurts to write. But I’m learning that the pain is worth the product. If you would like to push this ministry forward, I’m asking for two things in addition to your prayers. Would you please help those in your circle subscribe so that they can receive these devotional messages? Send them the subscription link or walk them through texting the word “thoughts” to (844) 750-0137. Not only will it encourage them, it encourages me as I see the number of subscribers go up for this ministry. Send this to whatever groupchat or instagram story God puts on your heart.
The other thing I’d appreciate is for you to sow a seed of financial support into this ministry. This ministry takes a lot of financial sacrifice on my end but it has been supplemented by selfless donors like you. Anything helps but the best thing you can do is to go to the donor tab on this website and sign up for a consistent donation. You can also give through Cash App ($ThoughtsByPace). Anything helps push this ministry forward. Thank you so much.
~ Pace Fordham
PaceFordham.com
