Serving Through Pain

Disclaimer: I am writing with very little sleep. Sorry if it is choppy!

For a week now, I have sat at the bedside of my sister’s bed while she is engulfed in the worst pain of her life. There have been days where I have been up for 30 plus hours straight, holding her hand, repositioning her, moving her from the bed, to the chair, to the bathroom. Nights and days filled with tears. I do not say this to boast about what I have done or am currently doing. I just need you to have some context of what I am walking through.

I want to address a resounding question that has been louder this hospital stay than ever before:  “How do you still believe and serve God when there is so much pain and sorrow?” We have too. We have to stand on His promises, His word, and His comfort. His Word says:

Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Psalm 30:5: “ Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

Psalm 119:28: “I weep with sorrow; encourage me by your word.”

His Word is the promise we stand on. If we didn’t have His Word there would be no working together for good, no joy in the morning, no hope.

Serving God and worshiping God when you are hitting your highest pain threshold, whether the pain is physical or emotional, is the ultimate death to your flesh. It is the moment of total surrender and complete trust. At that moment, there is nowhere else to look but to God. Doctors and nurses try their best and God will use them to diagnose a problem or administer medicine but God is the only one who can administer peace.

I believe in a God of miracles, I believe that He could miraculously change Rachel’s diagnosis, regrow a colon, and have her running and dancing in a moment. I know what God has done, what God is doing and what God says He will do. I also know that God isn’t a genie in a bottle and He loves to work through people. People who are vessels of His hope, His grace, His patience, His healing. God uses doctors, nurses, CNA’s, Rad Techs, friends and family members. Anyone and everyone who walks into the threshold of this door.

Take a second and grasp this fact: God wants to use US to do His will in someone else’s life. If we can just learn to slow down our plans, take a step back and ask God: “What is Your will today for me?” So often we get caught up in what we wanted to do that we forget that God has also planned out our day for us too. A lot of the times God isn’t waiting for some big event to get you to serve someone. He isn’t up in heaven scheduling everything He needs to get done during a designated serve event. Those are great and He uses those too, but He wants us to serve Him and His people every single day.

What if we could get a whole community to grasp this fact? What would it look like if everyone was serving each other instead of ourselves? What would it look like if we stopped turning the focus towards us and turning our focus towards them? The hurting and the lost. The more that this happens the more Heaven actually starts to touch Earth.

So what can you lay down to serve God? Who can you reach out to today to show God’s love to? He wants to use you today.