Embrace The Pain

Yesterday Amy, Emma and I were picking blackberries for a cake that we are making for Ben's birthday, which is today. I am not sure if you have ever picked blackberries, but the bushes have thorns all over them that make rose bush thorns look like soft little cotton balls. I was thinking as I was picking berries and getting the skin skratched off of me about pain. The thing that I was thinking was that sometimes the pain is a part beauty. There was pain in me picking blackberries, but in the end it was worth it as later on I will be eating an amaizing, fresh blackberry cake with my friends on Ben's birthday.

When Amy and I were in the hospital 2 weeks ago there was much pain. God say's to Eve in Genesis that there will be an increased pain in childbirth. I will be sensitive how I put this, but I am pretty sure that Amy sees that the pain of childbirth brought about the beautiful baby girl that we love so much now. Through the pain came something beautiful.

I feel that this is the same in our walk with Christ. It is painfull sometimes. Life is painfull sometimes. I used to want to walk away from the pain and move on to something else, but I have leared that if I embrace the pain that the result will be something beautiful. Out of my pain has come freedom, healing, joy, understanding, and much fruit.

Jesus embraced the pain of the cross so that he could bring us eternal life with Him. He saw what the cross would bring and went through the pain out of His love for us. I encourage you to ask God if the pain you are in is from Him and ask Him for the courage to embrace the pain. Embrace it so that when you come out of it you are a changed, renewed, wiser person who can sit down with friends and enjoy blackberry cake.