This morning I was reading in Jared Wilson’s “The Story of Everything“, the chapter on pain called no More Tears.  What a powerful chapter on a challenging subject and I really can’t do it justice herre with a short summary.  I appreciated the depth & the honesty of Jared’s take.  He didn’t shy away from how challenging pain and suffering is while at the same time proclaiming God’s purpose in it.  Jared points out that there is purpose in pain in God’s great plan for the world and God is not absent. God is there and has not forsaken me.

The larger point is that for believers, God’s promise is not keep us from pain now, but that pain has an expiration date.  Without Jesus, that’s not true.  And if I know that it’s absolutely going to end, I can endure, even if that end isn’t in sight.

Over and over, God’s message to the suffering has been I see. I know. And I am looking after you.  Trust me.

I find that I’m often too impatient.  I want God to fix it now, not eventually. I, frankly, don’t necessarily trust Him and His plan because I can’t see far enough ahead to know that it’s really going to be OK.

I want to more faithfully endure, looking ahead to better time, rather lamenting that this time isn’t as good as I want it to be.