trials

“We don’t get over trials, we go through them.” –unknown pastor.

I wish I could remember who first said this. It was in the “June with Jesus” series on the Reality Carp website, but that’s as much as I remember.

As I think about this this fact, I realize the implications that come with it. Trials are things that will shape who we are. They will become part of what we will become, be a part of who we will be, and change us in ways that we never could have imagined. (Photo found Source: ideastage.com via Emily on Pinterest" target=_blank>here.)

Think of a wound.

Most (sane) people, wouldn’t self inflict something like a gaping gash on their leg just for kicks. It’s more likely that it happened unexpectedly. Then, there are the necessary reactions to the event. After the initial pain, tears (if you’re me), and full realization of the even comes the cleaning, patching, and bandaging.

Before antibiotics, wounds had to be cauterized to prevent infection. This involves (to the best of my knowledge) the action of burning the wound to prevent any infections. Obviously, this antiquated process isn’t used as it once was… but even nowadays If a wound is deep enough, stitches will need to be used. (once, my sister hurt herself so badly they had to do a layer of internal stitches before the external layer).

Any way the wound is dealt with, it’s going to hurt. Even with the smallest of scratches: you pour peroxide or alcohol on it and your breath is pulled in as you try to push past the pain.

It’s the times that the treatment hurts more than the original pain. It’s the realization that what you’re doing is actually going to help relieve the pain, but the process of relief starts with hurt. It takes suffering through the pain of cauterizing in order to move past the pain of the original wound.

But, the pain of the process is to relieve any persistent or long term pain.

An untended wound could lead to infections that can spread to the entire body. Even infections that can spread to others. It could lead to persistent pain, amputation, even death.

Just like trials.

See, the Lord doesn’t just allow us to suffer through trials just for the sake of suffering through a trial. But, He does allow them. And, it’s the cleaning of the wound and tending to bandages of each trial that tends to be the most painful.

It’s learning the personal ugliness that comes to the surface and having to deal with it.

It’s the possibility of losing someone you love, having to walk away from a friendship, or saying no to something you want to say yes to.

It’s the realization that, at the time, it wasn’t a fun process. But now, on the other side of it…once the healing has taken place, you can look at the bruise and realize that the pain from the process was worth not having to deal with a festering unhealed wound now.

It’s the relief of knowing that spiritual amputation hurts more than physical and that death can be defeated through faith in Jesus Christ.

It’s thanking the Lord, through it all, for knowing that He is in charge, that He knows the outcome, that He’s been the Doctor on many more cases than just this one.

it’s saying “I trust you, Father. I’ll accept the cauterizing, bandaging, and peroxide. I don’t know how much it will hurt.

But you do.