God Never Wastes Our Pain

God Never Wastes Our Pain

Glynnis Whitwer

She’d betrayed me again. Hurt and anger simmered as I walked away counting to ten, then twenty. I felt ashamed as I thought about my heart’s reaction toward my child. Shouldn’t I be above this? Shouldn’t I be able to deal with rejection and deceit without getting angry?

That day, as always, God let me vent. As I presented my raw emotions to Him, He poured peace over my heart, sustaining me for another day.

It’s been seven years since God added to our family through an international adoption. We didn’t know the trauma our girls had experienced, but God did. And although some adoption stories have fairy-tale endings, ours has been punctuated by nightmares as our daughters’ suffering has become ours.

In the years since the adoption, I’ve learned a lot about living with pain and helplessness. I’ve also had to decide what I believe about God’s character. Mostly I’ve had to dig deep into whether or not I believe God can truly bring good out of all pain, or if my daughters’ suffering and ours is just a waste.

What I’ve come to believe is that God will never waste my pain, but I can. When I’m not honest about the reality of how hard life is, I waste God’s offer of peace. When I try to do things in my own strength, I waste God’s offer of power. When I keep the pain to myself and pretend everything is perfect, I waste opportunities to minister to others walking a similar path.

But when I confess my feelings of inadequacies, when I admit I’m helpless to heal the wounded ones in my care, I move into a place of reliance—and that’s just where God wants me. For in this place of dependence, God takes center stage. Although I’d remove the pain and trauma with a snap of my fingers if I could, I know God is working even in this—especially in this.

I understand better now how the apostle Paul could be glad for his weakness. I’m not glad for sin or what caused the brokenness we face. But I see the pain for what it is—a condition of this fallen world and a place for God’s power to work. This perspective helps me face another day. My circumstances haven’t changed, but hope has seeped in through the cracks.

No pain is wasted when I submit myself to God’s plans. And even now, we are seeing God’s healing power in the lives of our two precious girls.

Dear Lord, we’ve been here before, with me asking for relief. Help me to accept my weakness in this situation and to allow Your power to take over. I admit I don’t understand how this works, but I’m choosing to trust Your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

REMEMBER

God will never waste your pain, but you can.

REFLECT

Think about a painful time in your life. How was God’s power revealed during that time?

RESPOND

It’s easy to allow painful circumstances to bring us to a place of bitterness. If you are in that place today, write down ten things you are thankful for.

POWER VERSES

1 Corinthians 1:25; 1 Peter 2:20