A Painful Blessing

Bible Reading: Psalm 34:1-3, 8; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Catch, Wyatt!” Mom tossed a Frisbee high in the air. “Don’t let Avery get it!” Wyatt and Mom were a team against Avery and Dad.

Avery squealed and reached for the spinning disk, but Wyatt jumped and caught it with the tips of his fingers. He came down hard and felt his ankle twist as he hit the ground with a thud.

“Ouch!” he cried, grabbing his ankle. Mom and Dad came running over. “I’m okay,” Wyatt said, but when he took a step, pain shot through his foot. He limped over to a park bench.

“We need to get that checked out,” said Mom.

Dad nodded. “I’ll drive up as close as I can and then help you to the car.”

“Does it hurt a lot?” asked Avery.

Wyatt took a shaky breath through his teeth. “Yeah.”

“Pain can be a good thing,” Mom said as Dad drove up and got out of the car.

“A good thing?” said Avery. “You’re kidding!”

“No, I’m not,” said Mom. “Pain is a built-in alarm that tells us something isn’t right. If your ankle didn’t hurt right now, Wyatt, you’d get up and keep playing. You’d probably make your injury even worse because there would be nothing to tell you to stop.”

“Mom’s right,” Dad said as he helped Wyatt stand up. “An earache or toothache—or a sore ankle—are warnings that something is wrong. Sometimes pain can even save people from dying.”

“Next you’ll be telling me I should thank God my ankle hurts,” Wyatt said, leaning on Dad’s arm.

“Well, pain is a result of living in a broken, sinful world, but you can thank God for using a bad thing like pain for good,” said Dad. “He can even use painful situations—like a hurt ankle, a hard test at school, or even losing someone we love—to help us grow in our relationship with Him. And don’t forget that Jesus suffered pain on the cross when He died for our sins. When we suffer pain, it reminds us of His sacrifice and that He will get rid of sin and pain forever when He returns. Until then, we can be thankful He turns even painful things into blessings.” Barbara J. Westberg

How About You?

Are you thankful for all God’s done for you, even when you’re in pain? It’s hard to be thankful when you’re hurting, but remember that God can use your pain for good. Jesus is with you when you’re in pain—whether you’re suffering because of a physical injury or a difficult situation. He can use the pain you experience to help you grow and deepen your relationship with Him—and one day He’ll end pain forever!

Today’s Key Verse:
Ephesians 5:20 Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NLT)

Today’s Key Thought:

God can use pain for good