15 Things I've Learned From Chronic Pain

The last pain-free day of my life was sometime around the middle of November 2013, and since then I've been learning to live with Trigeminal Neuralgia and what it is like to always be in pain. To give you a brief idea of what a normal day looks like the first 30 minutes I'm awake I usually have a reprieve from most symptoms, and after that around 70 to 80 percent of the time I spend awake that day I will be in a varying degree of pain. Through walking in this for several months I have been able to learn alot about myself, God, and just life in general; so I figured it would be an interesting idea to chronicle some of these new things as well as some things I was reminded of here:

1. The world doesn't slow down because you aren't feeling good today, even if that's everyday. Figuring out how to suck it up is a life skill.

2. You aren't entitled to getting mad at people for not understanding what you're going through.

3. Romans 8:28 sometimes has a funny way of playing out.

4. God isn't any less good if I don't get better.

5. Everyone is struggling.

6. Jesus suffered way more than I ever will.

7. I am desperately and perpetually in need of the mercies and grace of Christ.

8. Long-term suffering will grow you up in a short amount of time.

9. You can be sad and still have unspeakable joy.

10. You can suffer well when you make much of the Gospel and what it has to say about suffering.

11. You begin to thank God for things you used to take for granted, like time you aren't in pain.

12. Suffering is not a free excuse to treat people however you want. Jesus asked God to forgive the people who were crucifying Him.

13. You will lash out at some point when you get overwhelmed, so learn to apologize for that instead of making excuses.

14. Other people who are hurting are going to look at you and see how you handle your suffering, so make much of the opportunity to show people there is always hope in Christ.

15. At the end of the day, God is still God, and that really is enough reason to have joy.

When a comparison is better than a dogmatic dichotomy of a theological thesis

There are alot of pastors and authors out there who use there words carefully and eloquently in order to preach the Gospel message. Some of them use artistic allegories appealing to the deepest parts or our humanity, others offer a bluntness that can be appreciated by those who don't want to to have their time wasted, and some even choose to use a refreshing sense of humor that keeps everyone engaged. Whatever your style is, and whoever you are, be you C.S. Lewis, Matt Chandler, or 17 year-old kid; one imperative thing remains the same. The clarity of your Gospel presentation must always come before it's beauty. If what you're preaching sounds super deep and intelligent but nobody can walk away from it and easily understand that Jesus the son of God died for their sins and rose again so that they can be saved by grace through faith, then what you're really preaching is the gospel of you.

Personally this is something that is constantly at the forefront of my thinking, even now as I write this blog. I am not gifted with ability to paint or to play any sort of musical instrument, but I do believe the Lord has blessed me with some speaking and writing skills that will be very helpful for the calling He has placed on my life to be  a pastor. I am extremely thankful for these gifts and get alot of joy out of unpacking scripture on deep levels and using vivid illustrations to preach the Word of God. There are alot of other wonderful authors and pastors that I believe enjoy doing the same (and do a far better job of it than me). I do not think there is absolutely a single thing wrong with doing any of this if your intention is to create a greater and clearer understanding of the Bible and God. With that being said, one of my greatest fears is that one day as a pastor I will get up in front of a church and preach something in an intentionally difficult way just so people will walk away thinking of me as "deep" or a "great theologian". I have to continually ask the Lord to reign over my preaching, not just on Sunday, but over every conversation I have. I have to continually pray that Christ would keep himself the center of my Gospel message, so that I might tailor my preaching to be maximally effective rather than maximally self-promoting. God did not call me to sound smart and make everyone think I'm a great speaker; God called me to love people and to preach the Gospel so that they might understand it and receive it.

 "For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."
-I Corinthians 1:17