Wednesday, March 9, 2022
by Reverend Dan on March 9, 2022I’m a big fan of C.S. Lewis, and one of my favorite quotes of his is, “God whispers to us in our pleasure . . . but shouts to us in our pain.” In a recent sermon, I shared that quote before giving the following example. “When are you more likely to move? When you’re comfortable and snuggled up on the sofa with the heating pad and a blanket on a cold, rainy winter day . . . or when you’re all snuggled up that same day, but you have a spring from the sofa coming through and poking you in the leg?” Obviously, it’s the latter.
I believe the experiences that shape our lives the most are the painful ones. We enjoy the good times. We celebrate them, and we should. But rarely do we willingly move from them because we’re afraid if we do, they won’t continue. Or worse, we simply take them for granted, assuming things will remain good all the time.
The problem is that when we stay in one place all the time, our learning is limited. It’s in the times of great pain where we grow and mature spiritually. And because we live in a sinful and fallen world, there’s going to be pain. Sometimes a little, sometimes a great deal. That’s why I like to think of pain as God’s volume button on the radio. He keeps turning the volume up until it gets uncomfortable listening. He does that to get your attention because He knows we’re only inclined to move or change when we get uncomfortable. And it’s in those moments of change and movement where we learn the most about ourselves and the world around us.
The good news about life is that whatever you’re going through right now, at some point it will get better. The bad news about life is that whatever you’re going through right now, at some point it will probably get worse. (Sorry. I know that’s not a very comforting or compassionate thought. Just an honest one.) Solomon told us that there is a time for every season, and the reality is that we’ll go through each season more than once. The good news is that through every season, God is walking beside us taking joy in our victories, crying with us in our defeats, and holding us up in the very worst moments of all. It’s good to know that no matter what season we’re in, God is the God of that season. And He uses it to teach us the depth of His love.
backI believe the experiences that shape our lives the most are the painful ones. We enjoy the good times. We celebrate them, and we should. But rarely do we willingly move from them because we’re afraid if we do, they won’t continue. Or worse, we simply take them for granted, assuming things will remain good all the time.
The problem is that when we stay in one place all the time, our learning is limited. It’s in the times of great pain where we grow and mature spiritually. And because we live in a sinful and fallen world, there’s going to be pain. Sometimes a little, sometimes a great deal. That’s why I like to think of pain as God’s volume button on the radio. He keeps turning the volume up until it gets uncomfortable listening. He does that to get your attention because He knows we’re only inclined to move or change when we get uncomfortable. And it’s in those moments of change and movement where we learn the most about ourselves and the world around us.
The good news about life is that whatever you’re going through right now, at some point it will get better. The bad news about life is that whatever you’re going through right now, at some point it will probably get worse. (Sorry. I know that’s not a very comforting or compassionate thought. Just an honest one.) Solomon told us that there is a time for every season, and the reality is that we’ll go through each season more than once. The good news is that through every season, God is walking beside us taking joy in our victories, crying with us in our defeats, and holding us up in the very worst moments of all. It’s good to know that no matter what season we’re in, God is the God of that season. And He uses it to teach us the depth of His love.
