Walking Free: Taking Small Steps to a Big God by Micah TylerSample

The first passage references Paul's nagging problem, referred to as his “thorn in the flesh.” Regardless of the source of pain, Paul prayed three times specifically that God would free him from it. But he finally concluded that God would use the problem to progress him toward becoming more like Jesus. Paul believed that God’s decisions were for his best, never some sort of punishment or judgment.

In our daily walk with Christ, we will never be completely free of our hurts. There are many days when our walk of faith toward Him involves working out the struggles in our lives. In those places, the more we trust Him, the closer we get to Him, and the more freedom we have, even in our pain. As Paul stated, we can be made “perfect in our weakness.”

In John 15, Jesus spoke of a pain initiated in our lives solely for us to be able to grow. In this passage, He called God “the Gardener.”

There are things in our lives that God has told us to get rid of—from toxic relationships to harmful habits to bad attitudes. When we refuse to hand those over, out of His great love, the Gardener may choose to remove it on His terms in His way. God, in His wisdom, has said, “Enough is enough. This has to go for you to be who I created you to be.”

The great news is when we submit our pain to God, new growth is going to take place. Because He alone knows where to cut, He knows what we need to grow. We can look back at our lives, see something God chose to remove, and now know that was the best thing. At the time, we would never have chosen it, but today, we are better for it.

Trainers tell their athletes to “push past the pain.” In the running world, that is often expressed as “hitting the wall.” The next time something painful is happening in your life, whether you volunteered for it or it was just suddenly cut off, remember progress, maturity, and growth beyond where you have ever been is on the way—another step bringing you closer to Jesus.

Where have you seen God use pain in your life to grow you in maturity?