I feel your pain, and thank God I can
A certain former President of these United States once famously said in response to the poverty and prejudice he saw among so many people; I feel your pain. From that one statement, Bill Clinton became the sweetheart of the downtrodden and especially those of color. The question is how on earth could he even know, let alone feel their pain? He lived in the White House and was light years removed from the common person and the struggles they went through daily.
Many years ago I pleaded with God to work with me so that I could truly understand the heartache, pain, confusion, anger and hopelessness people felt. I understood at the time that I had lived a life which kept me at arm's length from the genuine needs REAL people have and must deal with on a daily basis. My heart's desire was to experientially understand the battles common people face daily.
What prompted this was the feeling of being quite ineffectual in reaching out and being successful in ministering to others. I found myself talking AT people instead of being able to stop, listen and speak words which would find their way into a person's heart. Far too many times I would end up being nothing more than a walking concordance, totally incapable of reaching out and loving the unlovable and holding the untouchable.
The adventure God has led me to and through since I asked Him to help me is nothing short of incredible. I have been places, done things and spent time with people I never would have considered in the distant past. In other words; I can honestly say that God has heard my cry and allowed me to visit the darkest night of the soul, the depths of physical pain and misery and the throes of poverty I had never witnessed in my life.
Through this adventure, if I had taken the attitude that I had all the answers and demanded those I met drop what they were doing and listen to me; I would have had to drop out of God's curriculum for me immediately. From the very beginning of this grand experience, the rules have been crystal clear that I am NOBODY and any good I can do for anyone is strictly CHRIST at work within me.
When I meet someone in intense physical pain, I can truly tell them I understand and am acquainted with pain. When I am with someone who is fighting the anxiety of a negative medical prognosis, I can honestly comfort them and assure them that I have been there too. When I spend time with someone fighting for their financial life, I can fully grasp their predicament as one fighting the same battles.
I don't want to be the knight riding into town on the big white horse to save the day. I don't want to boldly proclaim that every sickness and every disease should automatically be eliminated from a believer if they just have faith. I don't want to stand up and demand gifts and offerings from the people under the pretense of them being seeds for future prosperity. Others can do these things if they believe they are supposed to. I must walk to the beat of different drum.
I have come to find out that my life is strictly and simply one of listening, sharing and giving whatever I have and whatever I can from the wealth of experience and knowledge of the Word of God I have gained. I have come to discover that my greatest joy in this life comes not from winning the multitudes, but from saying the right thing to ONE person at the right time to bless them or keep them from falling off a cliff.
I have come to realize that my purpose in this life is simply to give unto others that which God has graciously given unto me. I have learned that all I have been allowed to go through and learn from has given me the basis to really understand the battles we all face in this life and the everyday dramas that play out on the stages where we live our lives.
I thank God that He has allowed me to suffer physical, mental and financial pain. Now I can understand what so many of my brothers and sisters face daily. I thank God that He led me through the maze of both the health care system and other systems in place to supposedly help people. If I didn't have go through those mazes, I wouldn't and couldn't understand why people get so frustrated and discouraged dealing with the matters of this life.
I thank God He allowed me to live when I should have died. I thank God He allowed me to enjoy the fruits of health when no one thought I could. I thank God for the miracles, both large and small that have reinforced my utter and total faith in Him. I thank God He loved me enough to allow me to learn what I have learned in this life and provided places such as this to share it.
It means something to me to be able to honestly say; I feel your pain. It means I have been there and suffered too. It also means that God in His grace and mercy has brought me through the storms to grab the hands of those about to give up hope. I am truly thankful God loved me enough to let me learn what it means to totally trust Him and Him alone.
 Creative Commons: Public Domain
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Author: blessings2you
Location: Warrenton Missouri USA
Gender: Male
Age: 57
Blog Entries: 824 (archive)
Blog Comments: 1356
god called me to serve him when i was 16 years old while on a church work trip in new mexico in 1969. in the 40 years since; i attended bible school/leadership training, been ordained to the christian ministry and worked full time for a non-denominational ministry for nearly ten...
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in 1969 god stepped in and transformed my life as a sixteen year old teenager. after a couple of years of intense emotional ups and downs, i decided i needed a firm foundation in my life that went beyond emotional experiences. it was the decision to become involved with a...
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