Hi Folks!

When did you realize that pain and/or discomfort are usually the first agents of healing? You may be saying, "But Randy, you get healing from pain and discomfort. The _object_ is to avoid pain and discomfort!"

I know you think I've lost it. But I maintain the truth of my rash statement. Follow me on this.

First, you may not know you need healing if you don't feel pain. One of the worst effects of leprosy and diabetes is their propensity to cause a deadening of the sensing of pain. Infections and other negative events become much more dangerous when pain can't be felt.

Second, pain and discomfort are teachers. They let you know your limits, and people who get past or over these "teachers" can increase their abilities at certain things. Athletes who can "run" through the pain get in better condition. Professional sports people who can get through the pain without missing games/events can be more productive. You get the point.

Finally, sometimes the discomfort is a direct result of the healing process. Try having a dental procedure done without the discomfort of someone hands being inside your mouth. Or worse, try having a tooth filled without the pain of the Novocain shot.

God's plan sometimes works in this same way. Our path to healing may be through pain and discomfort. God's Word says, blessed are those who mourn (God knows that mourning is a necessary beginning to the process of grief). Gideon suffered the discomfort of being weak so that God could show God's strength through Gideon. David had the humiliating position of being the last considered before he was anointed to be king.

I could list many Biblical and personal cases of God's provision in the midst of my discomfort and God's healing that began as pain. I'll bet you could too. And if you can't, ask yourself this. Did I learn something from my last crisis? If the answer is no, think through the crisis again. You probably missed something. And ask, what is God teaching me from my current circumstances? You might just find those circumstances are a blessing instead of a curse.

Join me Sunday as we examine the discomfort of being clay in God's hands or on Wednesday as we seek to learn from the life of a very stressed Joseph. You may find something you can take and use. And THAT is a good thing!

In Christ's Love, Randy