Embrace your pain?

Embrace your pain?

As I was reading Stephanie's Victory Call from yesterday, it recalled to my mind a counseling conversation I had with Marilyn Heavilin (author of Roses in December) this past summer. Marilyn and I had teamed up to counsel a woman who had recently lost her husband in a tragic accident. I figured I would call in the big gun to help and at the same time take the opportunity to glean from Marilyn's experience (having lost 3 sons), insight and wisdom. I was able to observe Marilyn in action.
I mostly listened as Marilyn counseled, comforted and spoke truth into this young woman's life. Periodically, I would ask a question on behalf of the woman to get greater clarification. I remember Marilyn saying to her, "Embrace your pain". After a few moments of trying to envision what that looked like, to no avail, I asked just what exactly did that mean.
I so appreciated Marilyn's answer. I believe that it has value to all of us that are or have experienced suffering. Her answer basically was to not avoid things that remind you of your loss. Now, I don't think that is to say you should seek out those things that remind you of your loss, but by avoiding them it prolongs the process of healing. We tend to avoid those memories because they cause our heart to hurt. In other words, it causes pain. By avoiding those areas of pain, we can create areas of bondage in our lives.
As flesh and blood humans our natural instinct is to flee or avoid suffering. When we find ourselves in a season of suffering, we tend to focus our mental energy and efforts to get out of it as fast as possible.
As Stephanie said yesterday, in our suffering God is at work. He is up to something in your life. He is never malicious nor without a purpose. Your suffering may be due to your own choices and decisions or perhaps through no fault of your own. Either way God does not waste your suffering.

Isaiah 61:1-3, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of or God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

Diane