God will never waste your pain

27Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. 28Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. 29For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. 30We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it. Philippians 1

Dark days are gonna go away

They won't have the final say

These bones wee always gonna fade

cause we were made for a better place

The moment of our final breath

when all of our fears were put to rest

Every tear is real

Heaven is real

The words to this song came into my mind this week partly because I learned that the After's were doing concert following the Timberwolves basketball game this coming Saturday night.

I  love the lyrics to this song because they so eloquently remind me that what Jesus Christ did for me over 2000 years ago assured me that when I take my final breath on this planet that my life continues in this very real place we know as heaven.  

Just as the Apostle Paul wrestled when he said that  he was torn between wanting to be with Christ in heaven or remain with you, all of us as  believers in Jesus Christ wrestle with that thought.  We yearn to be with our loved ones, but yet it is better that we remain here with our friends and family so that we can preach the good news of hope and salvation to them. 

The pain that all of us feel when a loved dies is very real because it hurts deeply and cuts to the core of our very being. 

One doesn't have to look very far in the scriptures to see that Jesus disciples hurt deeply when they saw that the man that was beaten and died was no longer in their midst. The man they saw do many miracles and said very amazing truths that fulfilled the biblical prophecies left this earth with his final breath on the cross. 

When he said those now famous words, 'It is finished' turned out to be a proclamation to all of us that the price has now been paid for all of us to enter heaven upon our final breath. 

All it takes is for the rest of us to say these words, "Yes Jesus I ask you to come into my life, to take charge of my life because of what you did on that cross 2000 years ago. You paid the price for my salvation and it is no longer my works that earn my way to heaven, but it is the free gift of eternal life you gave to me.

There are those who wish they could hasten the pain they currently feel with their loss, but my offered words of encouragement is that this pain is only temporary because one day you will feel the fresh breath of God's holy spirit as he gives you a new joy that will encourage others around you. 

As you feel every hurt, every wound of your grief please remember that your pain will not be wasted because he will use that pain to breath life into others just entering their own pain and  suffering.

God does his best redemptive work in peoples lives through our pain. 

God loves you so much that his words of encouragement are that he is walking with you on whatever journey you are presently on. He will not leave you, nor forsake you. He will help you reach the finish line of your grief a much stronger, more resilient person and he will use your pain to help others heal.

It is for that very reason why we all must continue on in this life when we yearn to be with Jesus.