Pain from a Blessing

This entry came about because of some very personal things that happened in my life recently that God has used. It all happened around Thanksgiving, and largely because of my sister’s wedding. These two things brought everyone in my family together in a way it really hasn’t been in a while. This was a blessing, but it also caused some pain when it came to an end.

We were left reminded of the days that were behind us. Personally, I was reminded of the years I spent where my relationship with my parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, and other relatives pretty much defined my life. All I did was with them for many years of my life, and those relationships brought me great joy. While many of those relationships remain (some of the people from those days have passed on) my life is now totally different. I live with my wife, and three of my siblings are now also out of the house. Things are different now. What we once had isn’t gone, but it is much different than it once was.

This is what can cause pain. Looking back on the happy times we had with loved ones can cause us pain. I know this is a common experience. People lose loved ones to death all the time. Parents have children go to college, or daughters get married. We must deal with someone we were used to always being around suddenly being on their own, and not with us so much. It’s painful, and some people never recover from the pain because they forget a very important principle. This pain is a blessing.

Many never get to know this pain because they never knew the blessing. Some people never get to have children to miss. Some don’t get to know their parents, or wish they never did. Some don’t have good families, and consider the day they get to leave them and never return a blessing. Some are beaten, abused, or killed. Some have children who never get old enough to start their own lives. Some never had a best friend who went in a different direction in life, or a spouse to miss when they had to go away on a business trip.

If you are hurting because of such things remember this. One of the primary signs that this is a fallen world is that these blessings are accompanied by pain. Don’t get wrapped up in the pain, but thank God for the blessing. The pain cannot erase the blessing. It can keep us from moving on in life, or help us make stupid decisions to fill the void. This is less likely if we remember to be thankful to God for the blessings, and to let Him help us with the pain.