jasperdale
Numbers' Donkey
not even slightly dead
Posts: 136
Favourite Verse: John 4:14
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Pain
Feb 24, 2014 16:09:27 GMT
Becka likes this
Post by jasperdale on Feb 24, 2014 16:09:27 GMT
i just got back from the doctors office and wanted to start a discussion about physical pain and how we as Christians cope with it. i have a chronic back condition which has forced me on pain meds for about the last 4 years. exactly six months ago today, i had two seizures which put me in the hospital and left me unable to drive until TODAY! what a blessing to be able to get into a car and just drive.
for some reason, the stress of knowing that i had to go six months without having a seizure truly got the better of me last week. i had a horrid headache which would not go away and wound up in the emergency room in tears, thinking my head was going to explode. i have experienced more pain in the last 6 months than i think i have in the past 20 years.
however, i think i understand what Paul talks about when he speaks about suffering. we can either wallow in self pity, or we can use it to draw closer to our Lord Jesus. there were many many nights these past six months, when i would not be able to sleep. i would sit at the computer, listening to Scripture, and have found so many questions answered. serving Jesus pays. no matter how much pain you are in, i can tell you in all honesty that Jesus has never failed me.
i have "been to the brink" when i did not think i could stand one more bit of pain, or else i would simply fall down dead. and yet, just in the nick of time, Jesus has always come through. He is our bright and morning Star. He is the Annointed One. what would we do without Jesus?
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Pain
Feb 24, 2014 17:01:21 GMT
Post by morningstar on Feb 24, 2014 17:01:21 GMT
Amen Jasperdale!..Whether it be physical or emotional pain we go through it will take us in one direction or the other, you stated it well, which I believe is God's purpose in allowing trials & suffering in our lives. Good to hear your feeling a lot better. God Bless you.
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jasperdale
Numbers' Donkey
not even slightly dead
Posts: 136
Favourite Verse: John 4:14
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Post by jasperdale on Feb 24, 2014 18:21:23 GMT
i have also found that suffering makes it so much easier to trust God for the day to day things in life. perhaps we need to experience suffering in order to truly understand His power over our lives. you know, when something goes wrong and you pray and then things work out, we might be tempted to think it was a coincidence. but when you have hundreds of "coincidences" in your life, there is just no denying that there IS a God and that Jesus does hear our prayers.
there is something true about the allegory of "jumping off the cliff" and trusting Christ to catch you and keep you safe. until you are forced to jump, often through suffering, you will never truly know if He is able to catch you. i've been a follower of Jesus for over 30 years. and as i look back over my life as a Christian, time and again, it was during a period of intense grief or suffering that Jesus revealed Himself to me in deeper and deeper ways.
isn't it such a comforting thought to know that Jesus will always catch us?! there is no need to worry or fret about things. the Lord God who created our DNA and who sustains us with each breath we take, is able to watch over us and provide for our needs.
even death cannot conquer us, for Jesus is risen!
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Post by elizabeth on Feb 24, 2014 19:04:26 GMT
Jasperdale, I'm happy for you that you get to drive again. I'm glad you are feeling better, as well.
I think what you've written here is so true, "there is something true about the allegory of "jumping off the cliff" and trusting Christ to catch you and keep you safe. until you are forced to jump, often through suffering, you will never truly know if He is able to catch you." and " it was during a period of intense grief or suffering that Jesus revealed Himself to me in deeper and deeper ways." Those have been my experiences anyway.
I enjoyed your posts.
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Post by LS on Feb 24, 2014 20:19:29 GMT
Jasperdale, I share Elizabeth's sentiments and want to thank you for sharing your experiences and lessons with us. Reading your posts brought to mind 1Peter chapter 5 ... again, thanks so much for sharing.
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jasperdale
Numbers' Donkey
not even slightly dead
Posts: 136
Favourite Verse: John 4:14
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Post by jasperdale on Feb 24, 2014 20:46:45 GMT
i think it is so important for Christians to encourage one another. especially when we have trials and sadness in life. there are a lot of Christians who feel that they must plaster on a fake smile and "claim their blessing" when inside they are just wanting someone to cry with them. while i do believe that God heals people today, none of us will truly be healed until we get our glorified bodies. until then, we must live in a fallen world.
i can remember as a young Christian, going to a church in which it was "sinful" to even mention depressing things. you were supposed to "be above it all" in Jesus. no true believer could suffer from depression or illness because it meant that they lacked faith in an all powerful God. and so you had all these miserable people pretending that everything was coming up roses and never being able to tell the truth to one another.
i am convinced that many many people walk away from a church because they can't play pretend week after week. how comforting it is for us to be able to share our hurts, or grief, and know that others will pray with us, instead of demanding to know why we don't have faith enough to "receive our healing". but i know that Jesus weeps WITH us in our sorrow. He carries our burdens, He lifts us up, He promises never to leave or forsake us. if Jesus does all that for us, what on earth is there to fear?
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Pain
Feb 24, 2014 21:35:40 GMT
Post by shiloh on Feb 24, 2014 21:35:40 GMT
Good post, Jasperdale. It's in those valleys where we grow, however difficult and painful it may be. We are to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. There is a season for everything under the sun and I agree, we need to encourage one another. Encouragement is a gift of the the Holy Spirit.
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jasperdale
Numbers' Donkey
not even slightly dead
Posts: 136
Favourite Verse: John 4:14
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Post by jasperdale on Feb 25, 2014 1:32:28 GMT
i am stunned when i watch debates on youtube in which people talk about "the problem of suffering" as the main reason to abandon God. i know of many people who have walked away from their faith when God did not heal a loved one. i'm in my late forties, but i remember as an 18 year old kid thinking "why on earth would anyone turn away from Jesus, for any reason?"
i mean, seriously, if Jesus doesn't provide you instant healing and a happy life, you are just going to walk away from Him? and where on earth are you going to go TO? satan? pain is not fun. suffering hurts and i understand what it is like to lie in bed at 2 a.m. knowing that once again, sleep will not come. but i couldn't imagine turning away from God in my suffering. where would i go? there is no healing except for the Creator stepping in for me. without Jesus, life is simply meaningless. no hope. no future. no nothing. just old age, misery and death.
but on those nights when i am in serious pain, i close my eyes, and i see.......me, in my glorified body.........sitting under a tree next to my Lord, listening as He shares all the plans He has for me for the next trillion years or so...........
call me crazy, but i have this reoccurring dream in which my wife and i are sitting outside on the lawn with our three cats (two who are no longer with us), along with our deceased canary "Connie Bird"......and Jesus just shows up with a gift. he gives us all these different kinds of seeds and tells us to plant them.........we do........and a glorious flower garden just explodes into being........we laugh.......and Jesus sits down and has afternoon tea with us.
so, i suppose being in pain "may" cause you to indulge in "future fantasy" time with Jesus, but you never know. one day in the future, Jesus just might show up for tea.
the future is so bright knowing that Jesus is coming for us! there is hope! what a wonderful future awaits us all.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2014 4:33:49 GMT
Bless your heart, Jasperdale. You have the heart of a person who loves and trusts the Lord above all else, and you are a wonderful example of a person who is mature in the faith. I agree with what you wrote and the lessons you have learned 100%. There is something about being in the wilderness that draws us closer to the Lord, and I can sympathize so much with being up all night in pain and crying out to the Lord. I am so glad that you are driving again, and I am going to pray for healing from the pain you are experiencing right now.
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Pain
Feb 25, 2014 5:21:40 GMT
Post by shiloh on Feb 25, 2014 5:21:40 GMT
Yes, rest assured you are in our prayers, Jasperdale. I pray for people that don't even ask because I know they are going through a difficult time.
Leeza wrote:
That's because he's Jasp the lion-hearted.
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jasperdale
Numbers' Donkey
not even slightly dead
Posts: 136
Favourite Verse: John 4:14
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Pain
Feb 25, 2014 7:13:40 GMT
Post by jasperdale on Feb 25, 2014 7:13:40 GMT
shiloh, we have a little cat Andy who could be your cat's twin in your picture. andy is a great chum. i truly believe that Jesus has spoken to andy several times this past week, because he has "known" when i am really struggling with pain and will plop in my lap and just nuzzle for ten or fifteen minutes and then scoot off back to bed. a good cat is a great pain reliever.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Pain
Feb 25, 2014 10:08:26 GMT
Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2014 10:08:26 GMT
Jasperdale: I live with chronic pain and some days are better than others. I have found it helps to start praising and thanking God for every thing I can think of such as seeing, walking, forests, oceans, etc. It reminds me of how lucky and blessed I am.
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jasperdale
Numbers' Donkey
not even slightly dead
Posts: 136
Favourite Verse: John 4:14
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Pain
Feb 25, 2014 11:59:31 GMT
Post by jasperdale on Feb 25, 2014 11:59:31 GMT
rieom, i know exactly what you are talking about. i do the very same thing. chronic pain is not pleasant. but just imagine how much worse it "could" be for us! we have a bed to lie in. we have a roof over our head. we have food and water. we have pillows instead of stones to lay our heads upon. there is so much to be thankful for in life.
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