Don't Run From the Pain
Mar 20, 2025
Drew Smith
Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, they will be comforted." Jesus shows us the truth of this passage as we approach his journey to the cross. He didn't run from the pain because he knew the Father's plan. In full trust, even joy (Hebrews 12:1-3), Jesus entered the pain and death of the cross. God in human form has entered our pain. We, too, can enter our pain, the pain of others, and even the pain of the world because we know the Holy Spirit (the Helper/Comforter) goes with us. We know that Jesus has conquered pain and even death in the resurrection. How have you been able to engage with pain differently this week? How have you reflected on suffering in a new way? Consider this quote from Dr. Eugene Peterson, the Presbyterian pastor who translated The Message.
Pain isn’t the worst thing. Being hated isn’t the worst thing. Being separated from the one you love isn’t the worst thing. Death isn’t the worst thing. The worst thing is failing to deal with reality and becoming disconnected from what is actual. The worst thing is trivializing the honorable and desecrating the sacred. What I do with my grief affects the way you handle your grief; together, we form a community that deals with death and other loss in the context of God’s sovereignty, which is expressed finally in the resurrection. . . . We don’t become mature human beings by getting lucky or cleverly circumventing loss, and certainly not by avoidance and distraction. Learn to lament. Learn this lamentation. We’re mortals, after all. We and everyone around are scheduled for death. Take up your cross. It prepares us and those around us for resurrection.As we prepare to worship and celebrate at the empty tomb, let the reality of the cross guide us to mourn the pain in our lives and the lives of others.
Grace and Peace,
Drew