From Pain to Purpose

There are things in our lives that have caused us pain, haven't there? Things we don’t want to share. Things that are just too painful to think about. Things that maybe we’ve endured or struggled with for years that we would rather leave in the past or maybe we are still trying to get through. I think many of us would agree that we don’t want to relive painful memories. At times they feel more like a burden. To carry the weight of the past with us. But what if it didn’t have to be like that? What if, when we looked back on painful memories, we started looking through a different lens? One that could help us become better disciples in the future.

Jesus helped one such man during his ministry on earth. This man spent many years alone, naked, living in tombs of dead bodies. He suffered many ailments and pains all because he was possessed by a legion of demons. He spent years on the outside and in pain. But Jesus came along and heals him of all the suffering. Jesus takes the pain away. And then, the man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him (Luke 8:38-39 ESV).

The man just wanted to follow Jesus for the rest of his life. To go where Jesus went. But Jesus had another plan for him. To go and share all that has happened to him. To be a witness of his personal story. He gave the man a purpose.

Too often we think sharing the gospel or mentoring the next generation requires us to have all the Scriptural knowledge on the tip of our tongue. That we need to be eloquent speakers, master debaters, and an encyclopedia of Jesus’ journey. But what if there was a different purpose for us. People can deny Christ, dispute Scripture and ignore prophecy, but they cannot deny, dispute or ignore God's transformational power in someone's life. Our stories of pain, adversity and overcoming in Christ are meant to serve as a testimony of God's faithfulness and power, evidence that God really can take what the devil meant for evil and use it for good. I've since learned it is always God's desire for us to go and share our stories, whether we want to or not. God never wastes our pain. Only we do that. God has a plan for great purpose and a beautiful future for all who believe in Him. Not despite our past, but because of it (Tracie Miles, Proverbs 31 Ministries).

Passing on our faith doesn’t have to be complicated. It could be as simple as taking all the pain of the past and turning it into a purposeful witness of who Jesus is and what He’s done for us. Learn from the past. Share your story. God has a plan for that pain. To move from pain to purpose.