The Invitation of pain
The way of the world is obvious. Avoid discomfort and pain at all cost.
We are promised many things in the Bible, but one promise that we tend to avoid is the promise of pain, trial and persecution. If you follow Jesus, these will be a part of your journey.
Godly wisdom leads us not to shy away from the pain of life, but to stand in the midst of it.
I was in my early twenties and had agreed to do repairs on a friend’s cabin that sat on the edge of Lake George, a beautiful lake tucked in the mountains of upstate New York. For two weeks I was alone and working, playing guitar, and talking with my best friend. One night a thunderstorm came through. Intense pounding rain, lightning and thunder that shook you to your core. And as I stood under the protection of a roof on the back porch of the cabin, watching this intense display of the terrifying power of God in a storm, Jesus invited me out into the storm. At first, I thought He was crazy. Why would I choose to get soaked, and walk into danger, discomfort and possibly pain.
The answer is simple: He invited me.
And so I took off my shirt and walked down to the very edge of the dock, where previously I had spent time in the cool of the day with a cup of coffee and my Bible, just resting in the peacefulness of His presence. And I stood there as the rain pelted my skin and soaked every part of me, as lightning struck all around and the outcry of the thunder pulsated through my being.
And I wept.
And in that moment He began to heal my heart in ways I did not understand. He began to work on areas that I had not been able to see. I don’t remember how long I stood there, but I walked back up to the cabin having had a change take place in my heart that was necessary.
I simply answered an invitation into the storm and my freedom from things that I could not see, was granted. It wasn’t because I prayed for hours a day for freedom, or because I read the Bible over and over again and filled my mind with books about God or how to overcome evil. These are all good things, but my freedom was given to me when I followed His leading into the most terrifying and uncomfortable place.
What is His invitation to you, friend? Not all invitations are into pain, discomfort, and tragedy. The invitation is simply to take His hand and follow, WHEREVER He leads, and trust that He has a plan that can not be thwarted by any man, demon, or hell itself. And His plan is for your good. It’s not for your good feelings, or your comfort, or even your ideas of what your life should look like.
IT IS FOR YOUR GOOD!
Will you trust Him enough to follow Him into the storm, knowing that He is with you, and His presence will always manifest in our surrender.
Blessings on your journey with Jesus.
Below is an excerpt from ’S’ the second book of The Compass Series. It is another portrayal of our surrender to a storm that leads to our healing. Enjoy!
Another five minutes go by and I open the door. It is pouring. And that is not an over-exaggeration. I’m soaked by the time I step out and close the door. I pull the hood of my rain jacket up over my head, but my hair is already drenched. I know I have at least a two-hour walk in front of me. So, I better get to it.
Over the next hour I realize that the rain is actually soothing to me. Over the last few years I would’ve looked at this situation as a tragedy. I would’ve hated everything about it. But before leaving Josh, this would’ve been such an adventure, a story to tell my kids, a journey that would mark me for life. Although it came as a result of my bad choices, this is the only direction possible toward a good choice.
As I walk, I catch myself singing. It’s been a while since I’ve started singing for seemingly no reason. Singing without music is a funny thing. I think most people only do that when they are either really at peace or really alone. What comes out of your mouth really does reveal your heart, and my heart feels like it is being washed right now. The stains that have set so deeply into it are finally starting to be released and they are dropping off of me like the water that is pouring off of my jacket.
Ouch! What was that? I point my flashlight down at the ground. Oh, gas station man was right, hail!
Well, here we go. Over the next 30 minutes I am pegged all over my body with hail that gets as big as golf balls. I duck under a tree during the golf ball drop and then continue on once it passes. But I don’t feel the anger and resentment that I used to feel when something was painful. I keep coming back to the thought of standing in front of Joshua. I don’t know that I would have or could have made this trip if I knew it would be like this. I probably would have just waited another day, but I know I needed to leave when I did. Another day of staying there might have killed me.
Finally something looks familiar, the old creek bridge. As I walk across it a feeling overwhelms me. It’s the feeling that there are people around you cheering you on. I glance around at the dark forest surrounding me and see nothing, which in my case is probably a good thing, but I can’t shake this feeling. I remember these feelings when I was a teenager running in track meets. I never ran for the cheering, but there was something so powerful about it. And now, I feel like I’m on my last lap. Probably about 30 more minutes and I will find myself in a moment where hopefully, my life will again change forever.
Over the next 15 minutes I begin to see more and more lightning. It even starts to get close. I look up at the dark clouds and start laughing. “Seriously, am I going to get struck by lightning now?”
In the moment the words leave my mouth a bolt lands on a tree within 12 feet of me and as I watch in what seems like slow motion, it’s power and force surge through it, splitting it right down the middle. As soon as the energy reaches the ground the impact throws me off of the road. Slowly I open my eyes and everything appears blurry for a few seconds. It seems as if I’ve been knocked unconscious, but I don’t have any idea for how long.
I lay here looking up into the sky that is pouring out it’s tears onto my face.
I join in.
I don’t even completely understand what my crying was for. But I could tell it came from somewhere terribly deep inside of me. There were groans from the depths of my soul that were being released for the first time ever. Memories flashed through my mind; all the painful situations I’ve gone through. But somehow this time was different. I didn’t feel alone as I looked at myself in those memories. Throughout my whole life, every time I had a flashback it took me to a place of abandonment. It deepened my wounds of feeling like nobody out there cared for or loved me. But now those lonely and desolate places seemed somehow full. Just like the meadow by the lake that Joshua took me to. Those flowers should not have been alive in the dead of winter, but there was a warm spring of water flowing through the midst of them. And now, it seemed as though that same spring was flowing through me.
I continue to weep as I lay here on my back, and then out of instinct, I roll over onto my side and curl up. I continue to cry for another 20 minutes, feeling like I’m being held as this healing takes place in my heart that I don’t understand or even believe is possible. It is the worst pain I’ve ever felt, but it is also the deepest warmth my heart has ever known.
I definitely never expected it to happen in the middle of a thunderstorm while lying in the rain-soaked grass. Unexpected miracles. You cannot control or plan things like this. It’s as if moments step into your life like someone else ordered and planned them, and the only thing you can do is surrender to them, receive all they have, and hope that the change they create in you remains throughout your lifetime.
I stand up and I’m still crying. But even my crying has changed. My heart, my mind, my soul, and my strength is bent on one thing. I have to get to Joshua.
With each step I find a quickening. First within my heart and then within my stride. Until I am full out running. There is a difference between running in circles for a prize, and running toward a direction. The direction to the farm is north, and I am convinced it leads me to freedom.
As I approach the porch, a feeling of hesitation stops me, but I know now that I just need to keep taking steps. I push hesitation and fear to the side, step up onto the porch and knock on the door. I stand there amidst my own shivering waiting for what seems like an eternity...