"Pain"

 When I hit the ground so hard that time,

Pert near broke me in half,

A counterfeit, bronc pitched a fit,

At first my brother laughed.

But then he realized something,

That I was really hurt,

I could not move, no way to soothe,

My pain there in the dirt.

I got me some pain-killers,

That stuff sure helped me out,

Recovered then, that wreck back when,

Taught me what pain’s about.

Over ten long years ago,

Was when I had that wreck,

And time has passed, though not so fast,

Brought pain I now respect.

Like the time they said my sister,

Was lost out on her boat,

Turns out she drowned, could not be found,

And I just had to cope,

With losing someone dear to me,

Known her all my days,

Now she’s gone and I still long,

To call, hear what she says.

My mother, too, crossed over,

In her year ninety-four,

She clung to life, but freed from strife,

Was what God had in store.

My kids’ mom, so many more,

To whom we said good-bye,

Here, then gone, did not belong,

To stay here where we cry.

I guess what I am saying,

Though we love to be pain-free,

What all feel is far too real,

To deny, pretend to be,

Okay when we are not okay,

And broken-hearted, too,

Takes its toll, body and soul,

Affects all that we do.

But God has said He’ll meet us there,

In our lowest, saddest place,

His presence near, His voice we hear,

The power of His grace.

When broken, He’s the healer,

When lost, He seeks to find,

And nothing sad or really bad,

Can break what Jesus binds.

He gives us strength for weakness,

Our ashes blown away,

They are replaced, we seek His face,

Gives beauty that will stay.

So own the pain, my brother,

And sister, don’t deny,

But cast Your care, ‘cause He is there,

To help your tears to dry.

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares for you…” (1 Peter 5:7, NLT)

This translation says “give” your cares to God. The older translation says “cast” your cares or anxieties on Him because He cares for us. Life can be very painful, and all of us have to suffer in this life to some degree. What do we do about it? Most of us pray that we would be delivered from pain. If that’s what you’ve done, I’m with you all the way! But many times, maybe more times than not, we have to learn to live with what hurts us. It doesn’t go completely away, but we’re able to overcome it. That’s what matters most. Will we keep on going or cave in and allow our pain to paralyze us. Will we lose our spiritual identity and destiny because our injuries weight us down? We are called to be spiritual weight-watchers. Cast your heavy cares on Him and He will care fo you.

Lord, we give You all our worries and cares, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bruce Greene, brucegreeneart.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Bruce, and God bless you.