How to See the Purpose in My Pain

In Hebrews 12:2 I read, “[Jesus] did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God’s throne.” (GNT)

I’ve learned that I can handle more pain than I ever thought. It took going through difficult times for me to realize just how much I could handle.

As a human I can stand an enormous amount of pain if I can see a purpose in the pain and a reward past the pain. That’s exactly what Jesus did when he went to the cross. He was in excruciating pain, but he looked past the pain to the reward in heaven and had an eternal perspective.

Jesus wasn’t just looking at the here and now. If he was, his future would have looked bleak, and he would have despaired. But Jesus looked past the pain to the reward in heaven. He valued that eternal reward far more than any temporary relief on earth.

When I’m in pain and just looking at the here and now, I can get discouraged and depressed. Sometimes I may feel like giving up. The only way I’m going to make it through the toughest times in life is to look past the pain to the reward in heaven.

Hebrews 12:2 says, “[Jesus] did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God’s throne” (GNT).

Jesus endured the shameful pain on the cross because he knew of the joy that would be his afterward. The greatest joy for Jesus, and myself, is the hope of an eternity in heaven, where I will be in God’s presence forever.

When I get the mind of Christ, I begin to think the way Jesus does, about my past, present, future, God, life, death, sin, salvation, friends, and my confidence. I begin to realize there’s more to life than just here and now, and that can give me the strength to endure.

In summary, Jesus did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God’s throne. In my life, I’ve learned that I can handle more pain than I ever thought. I can stand an enormous amount of pain if I can see a purpose in the pain and a reward past it. That’s exactly what Jesus did when he went to the cross. He looked past the pain to the reward in heaven and had an eternal perspective. He valued that eternal reward far more than any temporary relief on earth. When I’m in pain and just look at the here and now, I can get discouraged and depressed. I may feel like giving up. The only way I’m going to make it through the toughest times in life is to look at Jesus' example, and look past the pain to the reward in heaven. The greatest joy for Jesus, and myself, is the hope of an eternity in heaven, where I will be in God’s presence forever. When I incorporate the mind of Christ into my life, I too can begin to think the way Jesus does. I can realize there’s more to life than just here and now, and that it can give me the strength to endure.

In my life, I hope to live in the blessings of God in this time and in eternity. I need to continue on knowing that God will use what happens for his purpose and his mission. So with the Holy Spirit presence in my life, I will endure and look for the greater reward. I ask you Father for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership and my interactions with others. I pray this things through your Son Jesus’ name, amen.