When Stretched

Have you ever been to PT? Had strength training after an injury? Or, like my dear relative, experienced painful exercises after knee replacement surgery?

“I have a deep respect for those who have chronic pain,” my relative said to me…the exact words I confessed to my physical therapist a few days before.

What about chronic pain? Wounds refusing to heal? Things beyond our control that remind us we are not invincible?

Chronic pain, whether physical, mental, or spiritual, calls our attention deeper when doggy teeth, imbedded and clamped, refuse to let go. How do we wrestle with unrelenting relational pain, bodily injuries, aging, grief, and other challenges, past and present? I’m reminded of my least favorite PT stretches…stretching no matter the pain…the ones for strengthening. I’ve never relished that “no pain, no gain” concept, applicable as it might be in some cases. Could it be beneath the ongoing pain we experience, benefits await…and we may truly turn the pain to gain?

How does that translate to unseen spiritual things? Could the painful waiting, the repetitive prayers, the endurance required to keep on keeping on, grasping hope with each breath, be building and strengthening us though it feels like we are being destroyed?

We all experience pain. Still, the spiritual application intrigues me. No experience is wasted. All behavior is meaningful. How deep will we dive to find the hidden purposes of our pain? Will it leave us hobbled, or strengthened? How can we progress through to become stronger in the end? How can we release our pain, when the release itself is painful? How will we continue when our strength is gone?

My mother often said of those doggy, naggy things…“This, too, shall pass.” Yes…please. And may we embrace all the goodness God reveals to us as we seek Him, invite Him to walk with us through our pain, and experience His amazing love and grace.

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LORD, may the Holy Spirit refill our flagging ones…stretch us to grow stronger in You through the hard and painful things. Thank you for the strength You provide to help us overcome. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Isaiah 41:10 NLT “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

Romans 5:3-5a NLT “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment.”

Hebrews 12:11 NLT. “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”