“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” (Isaiah 49:15)
“But why does it have to hurt so much?”
I remember uttering those words to my mother when I was a teenager after ‘breaking up’ with my first real boyfriend. I just couldn’t understand the pain involved. The emotional pain was every bit as real as any physical pain could be.
I find myself uttering the same words now, for entirely different reasons. Sometimes the pain is physical. Sometimes it’s emotional as well. The losses I seem to have to endure, the way my body has changed, and even what I must endure to ‘keep on keeping on,’ often leads me to question God. “But why does it have to hurt so much?”
My mother’s answer all those years ago was to simply let me cry, stroke my hair and say sadly, “I don’t know. I do know it hurts. I just don’t know why.”
I am always amazed when I read the story of Lazarus in the Bible. Before Jesus brought him back from the dead – He wept. He felt the pain and the sorrow of illness, suffering, and dying.
Sometimes I think people see God as gleefully playing with us as if we were puppets, putting us in difficult situations in an uncaring manner.
I don’t believe this is true. There are many reasons for pain and suffering. My guess is that we won’t know the reasons in this lifetime. For some of us, that pain and suffering will be alleviated. For some of us – well, we might spend our lives with it. In either case, I think we can rest assured that Christ understands our pain and cares.
My mother had no answers for me. But the love I felt in her touch, the way she listened to my pain, helped me beyond words.
My prayer for you all, beloved readers, is that you allow yourselves to feel God’s tender touch, realize Christ’s tears for you, and know that He listens to all of your words in the same way a mother cares for her hurting child.
Why does it have to hurt so much?
I don’t know. I do know God’s love and comfort. I pray that comfort for you, today.
About the Author:
deni believes that the only true way to deal with chronic pain and chronic illness is to bring them to the feet of her Lord and Savior. Her multiple challenges (Ankylosing Spondylitis, Porphyria, Celiac Sprue, and Atrial Fibrillation to name a few) have taught her many things about herself and her Christian walk. It is her fondest desire that her lessons may be helpful to others as they walk the path of chronic health challenges. She can be reached at EncouragingWords@me.com. Her website is http://www.pathwaysforchange.com/Encouragement.
Chronic Illness Pain Daily Devotionals 