you choose Q: how can i handle chronic pain?
Q: How do I handle physical body pain over the years even though I've been praying for help ? —Joseph
A: Chronic pain is a challenge that has a great impact on every aspect of life. There's no simple solution for dealing with it. A person in pain must be ready to acknowledge pain’s effects—including the limitations it imposes—but also strive to live as fully as…
June 23, 2014
How has God helped you through a difficult challenge in your personal life recently?
not outsmarted
The French philosopher Voltaire suspected that he would win the lottery in 1729. With a statistician friend he calculated that the jackpot would be much greater than the cost of all the tickets. They pooled their money with other friends, bought as many tickets as possible, won, and split the prize money. Outwitting the Parisian government paid big—Voltaire received over a million francs. But some people might think he didn’t play totally fair.
friend request
Ty Morin hopes to photograph 788 “friends” by the year 2016. His picture-taking project, entitled “Friend Request: Accepted,” will require him to photograph each of his Facebook friends doing what they love—anything from firefighting to weightlifting. Although many of his friends live in remote regions of the world, he feels it’s important to show up and connect personally with each one—spending at least an hour taking pictures. Through his project, Morin wants to combat the impersonal, superficial nature of online “friending.”
the fruit of suffering
How are you doing now?” my friend asked as we walked down the path. The last time Adrian and I had spoken, I had told him that my wife and I were not able to have children and the pain this had brought us.
anchor of hope
When we think of retirement, it may be that visiting exotic islands, lying in hammocks, and enjoying endless days of leisure come to mind. Well, that’s not Estella Pyfrom’s idea of retirement. Pyfrom, a retired teacher and daughter of migrant farm workers, spent all of her retirement funds ($900,000) to serve others. She bought a bus, decked it out with computers and desks, and now drives throughout the district where she taught, providing a place for underprivileged children to do homework and learn technology. Struggling students flock to what she’s labeled the “Brilliant Bus”—and find hope.
prince of peace
While walking through a store, my friend’s 12-year-old daughter commented on a magazine cover about the December 2012 mass shooting that tragically killed 20 children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the US. Her 6-year-old brother didn’t know much about the heartbreaking event, but he looked up at his mom and said, “I think my favorite name for Jesus is Prince of Peace.” “Me too,” my friend replied. “Me too.”
worth the wait
Everybody is waiting for something. What are you waiting for—employment, marriage, family peace? Imagine having to wait centuries for the fulfillment of a promise, but there was no evidence that it would be fulfilled. This was the spiritual and emotional climate during the time Jesus was born. People were waiting for God to fulfill the promise of restoration through the Messiah, but the political, social, and spiritual darkness concealed any evidence that God would keep His promise. Many people became weary of being righteous. Yet, there was a man who continued to wait and trust in God’s promise (Luke 2:25).
unfold His Word
How many times have you, like I, delved into sin— be it addiction, sexual impropriety, gossip, pride, unbridled anger, slothfulness—in attempts to mask the pain of life? It’s all too easy to respond to the emptiness, disappointment, or hurt that we’re experiencing by turning away from God’s commands instead of to them.
trapped
There was a time, deep into my walk with Jesus, when life became extremely difficult. I told a friend that I felt like a mouse, batted back and forth between the paws of a cat that was toying with his victim before making the final blow.
August 26, 2013
What words of comfort would you share with someone going through a difficult time?
he’s not there
My dad passed away a year ago from pancreatic cancer. When we arrived at the graveside for a private family burial, the funeral director was waiting there with my dad’s cremated ashes. It was the first time we had seen the small urn that housed his remains. I suddenly became overwhelmed with grief. A caring family member looked me in the eye and quietly spoke these simple but reassuring words, “Remember, Dad’s not there.”
July 8, 2013
What has God taught you in a season of pain?
must-see destinations
The title of a 2010 LIFE special edition magazine reads: “Heaven on Earth: The World’s Must-See Destinations.” It contains stunning photography of places such as the Grand Canyon, Alaska’s Denali, Petra in Jordan, and Rio de Janeiro. I’ve actually been fortunate enough to visit a few of them. But I have yet to see most of those scenic wonders.
correcting blind spots
In The Call to Joy and Pain, Ajith Fernando, a Christian leader from Sri Lanka, wrote: “The church in each culture has its own special challenges—theological blind spots that hinder Christians from growing to full maturity in Christ. . . . I think one of the most serious theological blind spots in [today’s] western church is a defective understanding of suffering. . . . The ‘good life’—comfort, convenience, and a painless life—have become necessities that people view as basic rights. If they do not have these, they think something has gone wrong. . . . One of the results of this attitude is a severe restriction of spiritual growth, for God intends us to grow through trials.”
