Repurpose Your Pain to Inspire Others

Unpopular opinion: we are called to suffer.

There, I said it.

Before everyone gets up-in-arms about victory in Jesus and how we are more than conquerors, etc., I’d like to point out that victory comes after battle, and conquering comes after staring down your fears and digging deep to find your resolve.

There is no other way to develop grit and resilience than to suffer through life’s unfairness until the victory is won.

What is the purpose of being called to suffer? While grit is nice and resilience its own reward, our pain has a specific purpose with a much higher calling than just being able to navigate our own lives.

Pain saves.

It was Christ’s pain on the cross that brought us redemption and healing, and it is sharing in Christ’s suffering that brings us into deep relationship with Him, but it also has the added benefit of connecting us to those around us, if we are willing to be generous with our testimony of pain.

Our culture is so pain-avoidant that it has produced its own kind of suffering, one where we judge ourselves by our level of happiness and covet the social-media lies of beauty and fulfilment we see others sharing.

It is counter-cultural to lean into pain. Pain has gifts and wisdom if we have the faith to discern them. The surest way to fall madly in love with Jesus is to acknowledge the suffering He shares with you, and dive in to discover all the ways He has pre-arranged for your redemption, equipping to be more than you ever thought you could be.

Sharing this wisdom gleaned from pain is mandatory for connection to the Body of Christ, to combat the loneliness and lies of the devil that drive our sisters to despair. We need to share our stories so others can be inspired. If not inspired, at least to know they are not alone, or forgotten by God.

One purpose all Christians share is to be ready to give our testimony, and to give it inclusive of our downfalls and shortcomings. A testimony devoid of pain isolates those who need the gospel the most. The messy middle, the tension of walking the road to salvation but stumbling on the way, the scars from the small battles you lost while still expecting the final victory… these are the narratives the world so desperately needs to hear.

Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:8-9, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.”

Re-purpose your story of pain to find connection with others and point them to the One who gives them the power to find peace and healing.

1.      What parts of your story are you most reluctant to share?

2.      What do you fear will happen if you tell others what you struggle with?

3.      What do you need to know from Jesus about suffering that will help you make peace with your pain?

 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. (2 Tim 4:2-3)

So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.

 (2 Tim 1:8-9)

Heather Bise

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