JRM Sison Chapter - Teachings - The Beauty of Pain

     Some people have asked me, “How come pain and sickness still come to a Christian?”, “Isn’t God a loving God and He should have cared for His children in times of need and distress?” “Why would a benevolent and loving God allow such things to happen?”

     Local news, even international, has claimed a global recession where people begin losing their jobs, their homes even their life. Our overseas Filipino workers had been terminated from their jobs due to the low income of their companies. Some of these workers have prayed for their jobs yet they have lost it. Even in our country, widespread recession can be felt. Most business establishment has confessed that their income decreased as the years had gone by. Employees nowadays are casual workers. You can number those who are regular in some companies while others don’t have any regular employees. It is as if it became hard to earn one’s living.

     Another question had arisen regarding calamities. May 17, 2008, Pangasinan had been devastated by the storm “Cosme”. People had asked “Why such a thing would happen in a very bad situation?” “How could God allow such a thing to happen?”

                                                                   The Painful Quest for the Right Answer

We will study four reasons why pain is allowed by God for us to experience.

The 4 P’s towards perfection

     1.     Point of Origin
          The law of cause and effect: if there is an effect then what is the cause. If you experience pain, problems, tribulations, sickness then what is the cause of it all. For example, you catch flu. You don’t just say that the devil has given you flu for no apparent reason. There is always a reason and that reason leads to the cause of the flu.

     2.     Process
          It starts somewhere and will end eventually. There is a certain process involved for pain to exist.

     3.     Purpose
          There is a purpose behind these events; a purpose that leads to rebuke and learning experiences.

     4.     PUSH
          It enables Christians to PUSH harder (Pray Until Success Happens)

The 3 things we must Accept

     1.     Accepting Reality - that this doesn’t spring out of nowhere. The reason it happened lies also with one’s participation.

     2.     Accepting Spirituality - that the Lord our God is trying to tell us something; to open our minds and hearts, accepting God’s moving through the Holy Spirit and His Words through Christ Jesus.

     3.     Accepting Individuality - that we are still mere mortals where a set of limitations and boundaries are given and are to be adhered.

The 3 I’s to learn

     1     .Intelligence - that pain leads to knowledge and experience.

     2.     Investigation - that pain teaches us to analyze the things happening in our lives and in our surroundings.

     3.     Initiation - that pain teaches us to move and to neutralize the pain

The 3 Needs to have

     1.     Need to Worship - Pain teaches us to worship more on God; to pray unceasingly; to declare and confess regularly; to acknowledge God more in our lives to other people not just to fellow brethren.

     2.     Need to Study the Word of God - Pain teaches us to search for answers within the confines of His wisdom. We begin to trust in His words rather than on our own. We begin to cling to His promises and declare it as our own.

     3.     Need to have Wisdom - Pain teaches us to stop when to stop; to start when to start; and to go when to go. It is our teacher that leads us to perfection.

     Brethren, the pain that we experience is not a punishment from God. If you are going to look at it differently, it is actually a sign for the blessing that you are waiting for to come. Consider a laboring mother; you know it is her time to give birth if the intervals (of pain) are close. Then, after she gives birth the pain was replaced by joy.