Lesson of Pain

I have been presented with this a lot lately...

The opening act at Todd Agnew's concert was a woman named Joy Whitlock. In the program she had this to say about pain:

"...Pain is not working against us. It brings us closer to the one who knows pain better than anyone else...Jesus Christ. He understands and hurts right along with us. When we are persecuted, He is persecuted. When we cry, He cries. And when we laugh...He laughs too. He goes through life with us and in us. And our life struggles and heartache only remind us that we are not alone. It shows us of his love. It shows us that if we fall, He will fall with us."

Another reminder of how the pain in our life is used for good was an email my grandparents recently sent to me. It basically compared the little struggles and pains in our lives to the ingredients in a cake. Alone eggs, flour, and sugar aren't very appetizing. However, when combined, they are yummy. Likewise the pain in our life is confusing while we experience it. However, later, the pain is combined for good. It helps us to learn and redirect. God put everything together to work for His good. God's plan isn't to torture us or for us to be miserable. Oppositely he wants us to deal with the pain we encounter and still be joyful. The one quote that I loved from that email was:

God is crazy about you.
He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen.
He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.

He also sends us snow in November :)

I pray that God will help me use my painful experiences for good. That he would open my eyes to his ultimate plan for me. I do have a tough time with pain, and death, as you know.