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Hello,
Last week, I wrote about Spiritual Grit. Today, I’m sharing a quick thought about pain and suffering.
“Pain is the road of life,” someone once told me. True enough. But thank goodness for life’s backroads. You know, the ones marked with a green-dotted line in the old Rand McNally Road Atlas.
They’re scenic routes. Roads off the beaten path. They take longer, but they sweeten the journey. How do you find them? Go down Pain Blvd. and take the next exit. There’s always a scenic route close by.
When my wife and I deal with the pain and suffering of a wilderness season, we seek rest, the margin for resetting, and find encouragement in the fellowship of close friends.
Remember, the road does not define the traveler. My friend Edie says, “Pain is a given. What matters is how we choose to handle it.” Edie’s smart and joyful, and she’s not wrong.
Each day, life presents us with a choice. We can choose to live in the mistakes and pain of yesterday, or we can seize the mysterious mercy of God that reboots each day.
That choice is hard. Sometimes, we get so used to the pain, bitterness, and anger that we almost prefer it to the new morning. But that’s on us. We choose to chew on the darkness. Or, we choose to seize the new mercy God extends every morning. I can choose to replay my pain and suffering in my head and let it consume me, or I can set about the work God’s put before me.
Framing pain like this doesn’t minimize suffering. On the contrary, it places it in a context and helps us see that there’s a way to manage it. It doesn’t mean pain disappears, and all is fixed. It means we’re not perpetual victims. It means we possess a will to act. It means that reprieve is available.
“Come to me,” says Jesus, “and I will give you rest.”
An invitation with no RSVP is needed.
But you must act. You must show spiritual grit and meet him, wrestle with him, and allow him to hold you.
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Announcements & Reminders
Calling all writers and creatives. Over the last several months, I’ve been hosting Zoom workshops called The Writer’s Workshop. Hosted one Saturday a month, The Writer’s Workshop gives writers the opportunity to ask questions about writing and the writing life as we explore various topics related to writing. February’s workshop is on Saturday the 24th. For more information or to get pre-registration pricing, click the button below.
Speaking & Teaching
In addition to my monthly online workshops, I’ll be speaking and teaching at various venues this year. In March, I’ll be teaching and sharing at the Foraged Beauty Art Workshop hosted by my dear friend Daune Pitman of Cottage in the Oaks. For more information on this workshop, click the button below.
For all you homeschool families and lifelong learners, I will also give a keynote address and a fireside chat at this year’s annual Charlotte Mason Institute National Conference, held at Asbury University. This year’s theme is “The Joy of Making.”For more information on attending, click the button below.
