Shock waves of pain tore through my arm as I laid face down on the shiny linoleum floor. I was hurrying through the grocery store and before I knew what was happening, I fell. It was obvious something was wrong. “I’ve seen this before. Look at the way her shoulder is bent,” the store clerk said to his colleague as they tried to help me up.
It turned out I had broken my shoulder and upper arm in four places. There was no hope of repair. My injury required a total reverse shoulder replacement. I thought, why did this happen at this time in my life when I have so many things I need to do?
The break was bad enough but the recovery after the surgery brought new suffering. I slept upright at a 45-degree angle for six weeks. I spent long nights shifting in the chair agonizing over the sleepless hours filled with worry and pain.
Suffering is something we don’t choose for ourselves. It’s usually something we try to avoid at all costs. I wanted to run away from what I was going through, but apart from a miracle, there was no way for me to sidestep what I was facing.
In the darkness of the night as I was crying out about my suffering to God, He reminded me of Jesus. God’s Son looked full faced into HIs suffering and met it with all the fortitude necessary to go through it.
Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
King James Version
Jesus didn’t face his suffering by accident like I did. He knew it was coming. He knew it was HIs mission, HIs ministry, and HIs message. He had no desire to sidestep it. Jesus embraced His suffering as the Father’s will.
His determination wasn’t attached to any personal agenda for worldly profit or power. Jesus focused on the joy set before him. He saw us reconciled to God. He saw the sin-barrier removed and fellowship restored with us.
Jesus delighted in the joy of transforming our lives so that we could be free from the power of sin and saved for the glory of God.
Jesus fixed His eyes on the eternal joy of spending eternity with us, HIs church. Jesus sees us as worth the suffering.
We are the beneficiaries of HIs sufferings. We are His inheritance, and He is ours.
I may never know why I suffered through that injury. My prayer is for God to use it for His glory. I am thankful for coming through it with the knowledge of how much Jesus must love us to suffer for us the way He did.
*The Write Connection: Journaling Prompt:
How did you handle a time in your life when you were faced with something that caused you hardship or suffering?
The Bible Connection: Read Hebrews 11:24-26, 12:1-2:
How can we face distractions from the enemy, protests from family and friends, or other hard situations and stay focused on the message of Jesus written in our lives?
What wisdom can you take away from the passages today to help you develop the perseverance you need to never give up in your journey with Jesus?
The Heart Connection: Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us to learn what it takes to stay focused on you no matter what we may face. Help us to embrace your will and not try to run away when things get hard. Carry us through troubles knowing we can do all things because you are our strength. Provide us with the power and perseverance to bear the image of Jesus in the face of suffering. Grant us the fortitude to live lives of faith filled with hope revealing your overcoming power to a lost world. In Jesus’ name, amen.
*The Write Connection is a one-day workshop presenting the biblical concepts of journaling and purpose boards with built-in creative time for the participants. If you are interested in hosting this workshop, please contact Carla G. Pollard at 804-601-6172, or by e-mail to carla@carlagpollard.com, or through WomenSpeakers.com.
Carla, thank you for sharing your challenges and encouraging us to look to Jesus in trials. I appreciate this powerful message: “I may never know why I suffered through that injury. My prayer is for God to use it for His glory.”
My heart hurts for you as I read the description of your fall, your surgery, and recovery. I’ve had several injuries related to horses (a ruptured bursa in my knee and several concussions). With the knee injury, I was on crutches five weeks. I don’t think I had nearly as much pain as you, but the confinement and loss of independence was stifling. However, I had much time to think, read, meditate, and pray. God had allowed an accident to slow me down from my constant busyness. I still have a tendency to be too busy, but I’m more aware now of the need to slow, stop, talk to God, read His word. Enjoyed your message.
Suffering changes us in a way good times never can. And you’re so right–our pain points us to Christ and what He’s done for us.