Those last words aren't true, I know that for sure. Knocking on Heaven's door doesn't guarantee what I want - even a cure. Heaven's gate is where my Savior lives with God, His Father, Divine. It would be much better if I changed my attitude and accepted His will for mine.
Yes, the pain and the numbing in my head, they hurt and are bothersome something fierce. The pain in my back reminds me standing up straight is a gift every time there's a pierce. And when I see my Savior on the cross and think of the pain He endured???
I see a crown of thorns and nails like railroad spikes. Could I have endured HIS pain?
So when I get on the soapbox in my head about how hard a physical life I've had. All I have to do is look at the cross where Jesus hung. His body was beaten bloody from a scourging he received. His head had a crown of thorns pressed into it until it dripped blood. He was forced to carry his own cross no matter how many times he fell under the weight of it. He was whipped until he got up and was spat upon by onlookers who lined the road to Calvary. At one point a man was told to help Jesus carry his cross. We are not told much about this man but somewhere from point A to point B this man believed Jesus to be the Messiah. Reaching Calvary with two other thieves, Jesus was made to lay down on the cross. When each nail was pounded into his flesh he cried out in pain. When his body was finished being nailed to the cross, it was pulled upright and landed with a thud into the hole in the ground and Jesus cried out in pain, again.
And then Jesus did something that I don't do often enough.
He looked beyond his pain, beyond his circumstances, beyond anything else that could have been a distraction. Jesus had a mother. Mary. He knew Mary would need a son to look after her. Someone he trusted to take his place. Who better than the disciple he loved? (John)
I'm ashamed to admit this. When I'm in pain most of the time all I'm thinking about is me. How do I get rid of the pain, how do I medicate the pain, what can I do to alleviate the pain and is there anything I can do to prevent the pain from recurring?
Those are great questions and are appropriate most of the time. But then I have to ask myself this:
Am I using the pain to get attention?
Am I using the pain as an excuse to get out of doing something?
Am I NOT telling anyone about the pain so that I don't get the medical care I need?
And then.....
Who can I reach out to that needs a little Jesus love?
Something to think about.
