Saturday, July 28, 2018

The Opposite Of Pain

What is the opposite of pain?

The Lord brought this question to mind as I was walking out of the department store where I had made a quick stop for a last-minute item for a party at our house.  I quickly dismissed my initial answer…healing.  Healing is the solution but not the opposite of pain.  What is the opposite of pain?

I know many people who live with pain in their life, both physical and emotional pain.  Some of the pain is self-inflicted but much of the pain is the result of the actions of others.  Rather than live in this world of pain, what is the other side of pain? More questions quickly came to mind.

How do you leave the world of pain that wants to define your life? You can’t pretend that the pain never happened.  God can heal your pain, but the memory of pain can change how you live your life.  You can become defensive or insecure, fearing the potential hurts ‘out there’ in your future.  You can become embittered, choosing to hurt first the next time, inadvertently becoming the next ‘hurter’ for someone else.

Shortly after the first question came to mind, God brought His answer to my mind the same way.  I heard this thought that was not my idea, “The opposite of pain is peace.” Almost immediately, and before I could form my objections to His answer, He reminded me of Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

Wow!  What if that is true?  The opposite of living a life defined by pain or the memory of pain is… peace.  What if we could choose to be kept in the perfect peace that God promised to those who steadfastly choose to trust in God for their future and their life free of pain’s distraction from or challenge to our trust in God?

What if, when pain’s memory rises again, I stand against pain and before God and declare:
 “I choose to trust you God!  I stand against pain’s attempt to distract me from steadfastly choosing to trust You!  You will keep me in perfect peace!  Pain is real, but Your peace is perfect, complete, and life changingly more than real.  Supernaturally real! Pain is distracting but Your peace is the reward of my choice to trust in Your truth and not in pain’s lies.  I steadfastly choose to trust You by an act of my will, whether I feel like it right now or not!  AMEN!”

Pain is not where God wants me to stay.  I don't have to settle for anything less than a life in perfect peace.  Perfect peace is where God has promised to keep us who trust in Him and who do not give up choosing to trust Him.   

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3, NIV