Grateful through the Pain

Sometimes the pain in my back and torso is so intense that I can't stand it.  At other times its just the normal stuff....the pain I've learned to live with everyday. Tonight its one of those, "oh my gosh, I cannot even lie down because it hurts so bad" nights. This means that tomorrow will be a hard, hard day because I am not able to go to sleep and its already 3:00 AM.

It's times like this that I have to remind myself to be grateful through the pain. A few years ago I almost died with a nasty infection that invaded my thoracic spine. Two of my vertebrae had to be removed in an operation that was very extensive. I was left with chronic pain, not only from the hardware in my back, but also from all the scars throughout my torso as the surgeons had to lay me open through and through to get to the right spot.

I was left forever changed, unable to do many things that I'd formerly enjoyed. I am still on pain meds three years later and some times, like tonight, even the pain meds aren't helpful. Its so hard to continue on with the call of God on my life when the pain becomes so intense.


Yet, with all that, as I type this I am listening to a friend's piano playing the song, There is a Fountain. One of the verses says, "E'er since, by faith, I saw the stream thy flowing wounds supply, redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die."

Now not to get all hyper-spiritual on you, but how can I continue to have self-pity when I think of what Jesus did for me? When I think of his love, of his death for me, and for his purposes for my life, I cannot help but be grateful. Just because my body isn't working properly, doesn't mean that God's will for my life is over. No, he really intends me to continue on and to share his redeeming love with those who have not heard, with those who are in pain and cannot find a source of life because of it. I have the source of life, I have God's love.

Oh that I remember to be grateful through the pain always.

Check out my friend's site and his music: http://www.reverbnation.com/dalemoore#!