My tattoo and God's plan

  

There is a purpose to pain. Pain can be so many things, some of them even good.

Pain, like fear, can give you a jolt of adrenalin to get you through danger.

Pain, like a warning, can let you know something is wrong.

Pain, like birthing, lets you know new life has grown and is arriving!

Pain, in a wounding, lets you know you are alive. The dead can't feel. As long as you live there is hope.  

Pain, in healing, lets you know that you are on the other side of the wounding.

I was wondering about things the other night, and my most recent tattoo came to mind.  I can withstand the pain of the tattoo for literally hours knowing something amazing will come of it.  The pain is an investment in me. In an expression of my faith.

Take that to a spiritual and whole life level - the pain I have gone through, and that you have gone through, led to something amazing.   It let us to who we are today, and I will be the first to tell you this: I like me.

The tempering, the wounding, the scarring, the healing, the laughter and tears have wrought a woman who has more empathy and wisdom than the one she was before.  (Don't get me wrong, I would NOT get in line to repeat most of those 'tempering' experiences BUT they did make me who I am today.)

God let His people wander and be tempered for 40 years in the desert.  Nehemiah had to beg to come back to build the wall for his people.  And they guarded the progress against those who would destroy them. They were stronger for it.  For the pain. The blisters. The fear. The STUFF!

The stuff. The big stuff. The little stuff. The stuff that picks at you. The stuff that drives you to your knees. THAT STUFF. THAT STUFF! We know that stuff. Sometimes too well. And sometimes too often. Many times the same pain relived as we heal, and sometimes new pain as we find our voices and come to understand that not everyone is happy that we have.

Pain. And stuff. And most importantly God is with us. We are never, ever alone in this. 

God does not give us pain, that belongs to us as humans.  God can, however, make something amazing from our pain. I look at my tattoos, each one with a symbol of my faith, and I understand a bit more about pain.  I look at my c-section scar that saved two lives. And I understand a bit more about pain. I see some of my scars, and I have to laugh. Barbed wire NEVER loses when it fights flesh. But do you know who will always win? Jesus! He already has! 

Growing comes with pain. So does change.  Seeds, butterflies and seasons all change. So do women. Sometimes we change and find our voices - celebrate finding your voice with us by posting on the link up over at Jo Ann's website.  Celebrate in the comments if you don't blog.  And know that you are not alone. You are beautiful. You are a cherished child of a loving God.