When we think about stewardship our mind usually goes to two biblical principles:
- Stewardship of our financial resources that God entrusts us with and
- Spiritual gifts, those God-given abilities to serve.
I believe there is another level of stewardship that Christ followers are often unaware of and that is the “Stewardship of Pain.”
Pharmaceutical companies make billions of dollars every year to aid in the alleviation of pain. Have you ever considered that bodily pain is a gift from God? Pain tells us something is wrong within the body and the source of the pain needs treatment before it becomes a life-threatening problem. Some pain meds are absolutely necessary to keep pain from increasing to the level of shutting the body down, under the care of a Pain Management doctor who understands the importance of pain management.
We all face painful life challenges, unexpected difficulties, storms that seem unending and when they do end we stand in shock and wonder “why” and what good could ever come out of this pain. One of the underlying truths of this kind of pain is that God has a proven record of great creativity in using this pain for our good and the good of those around us.
Whether we are in the beginning, the middle, or in the last stages of these painful situations, the last thing we want to hear is pious religious hashtags like #Romans828. But the truth of the matter is God does have the great creativity to mold and shape our pain into something good for us and those He brings into our life. In one of the most difficult times of my life and ministry, Romans 8:28 became an anchor. I didn’t have to like or understand the pain, but chose to submit that God can and will use this pain for my good and His Kingdom. This did not make the pain go away or change the circumstances, but the difference was how I viewed the circumstances.
When we come to the point of total surrender of our painful circumstances, it is then we start the journey to being good stewards of pain. It is then that we get to implement the II Corinthians 1 principle. II Corinthians 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
The challenge is, do I “go through” the pain or do I decide to “grow through” the pain? When we see painful circumstances as a God-given opportunity to grow, we enter into the role of being a good steward of the pain and the reward is we get to share with others the joy of the comfort we have received in our pain.
Trust God to help you manage the painful situation. He is the Great Pain Management Doctor!
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