Faith and Love

I think I --like so many others-- have had a wrong view of pain and God's love.

"Now I know faith is not a fire, as much as it is a glow,

 A quite lovely burning underneath the snow.

And it's not too much-it's just enough to get me home.

'Cause love moves slow."

 -Audrey Assad lyrics to "Slow"

For me, it is hard to see pain and suffering in others lives.  It is also hard to understand why I have to experience hurt.  If we have excepted Christ in our lives and God really does exist then why do we have to see evil and experience hurt. Doesn't God love us? Doesn't He know how this is hurting His children?

As a matter of fact, He does.  A perfect and holy God made Himself human (Jesus), so that He could experience pain. He didn't have to do that, but He wanted to show His great love by joining us in the suffering.  He experienced suffering and pain because of His love for us.

So my heart breaks at the pain I see around me and as my heart breaks, I am learning the amount of faith I am going to need to make it through this life. Evil lives on earth.  As long as it exists on earth, there will be suffering.  God has chosen me, a weak servant, to step into the pain and suffering and be a light.  As I do this, He will draw me closer to Himself.  Pain and suffering force to me to have faith that there is something better, there has to be a reason for it.  If there is not a reason for it, then hopelessness will flood my heart.  I will be consumed by despair.  

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 

Hebrews 11:1

In the face of pain and suffering I will choose to seek a deeper understanding of God's love.  I will choose to believe that as I experience heart break and wait for healing, Jesus is right beside me. Jesus can relate to my waiting. Jesus is waiting for the day when I get to come home to Heaven and see Him face to face.  He is preparing me for that day through the trials, because through every trial I learn a greater depth to His love.  A little bit of a Heaven on earth when trials are overcome. He is cleansing me for the day when I will be found perfect in His sight.

For that day, I wait.  I have faith, full confidence, in the fact that the day will come when I will see God face to face. For that day, I wait in eager expectation, knowing that every trial faced on earth will have been worth it.  If I seek Him in faith, I will slowly learn the depth of His love.