I Can Heal from Pain, by Helping Others

In 1 Peter 4:1 I read, “Since Christ suffered and underwent pain, you must have the same attitude he did; you must be ready to suffer, too. For remember, when your body suffers, sin loses its power.” (TLB)

When I’m experiencing pain, who’s the person I think of the most? Myself! It’s my nature to be self-centered, because I’m human. When I’m suffering, I want to be comforted. When I’m sick, I want to be cared for. When I’m sad, I want to be held. Pain makes me self-centered.

But God says, if I’m going to learn how to love like he does, I’ve got to try to see other people’s pain, even when I’m in pain.

Jesus is the greatest example of this. When he was hanging on the cross, he was in enormous physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. He was carrying all the sin of the world! But in his dying moments, he noticed the pain of other people. He prayed, “Father forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing” (Luke 23:34 GW). And he said to the guy next to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 GW). He also made sure his mother would be cared for. He wasn’t thinking about himself, even when he was in agony.

God’s Word says to have the same attitude as Jesus (Philippians 2:5). This means, when I”m in pain, I should look around and see who else is in pain. I should think of others, even as I care for myself. That’s a hard one. How do I look at the pain of others when I’m in pain?

“Since Christ suffered and underwent pain, you must have the same attitude he did; you must be ready to suffer, too. For remember, when your body suffers, sin loses its power” (1 Peter 4:1 TLB).

With God’s grace, I can look past my own pain. And when I do, sin loses its power and I become more like Jesus. With God’s grace, I can help others who are in pain, even as I carry my own deep hurt. Because of this, God will give me purpose in my pain so I can help many others to move forward in healing. God can use my pain, too, to help others struggling with the same pain.

In summary, since Christ suffered and underwent pain, I must have the same attitude he did and be ready to suffer as well. For when my body suffers, sin loses its power. When I’m experiencing pain, I think mainly of myself. It’s in my nature to be self-centered. When I’m suffering, sick or sad, I want to be comforted, cared for, or held. Pain makes me self-centered. So if I’m going to learn how to love like he does, I’ve got to try to see other people’s pain, even when I’m in pain. Jesus when he was hanging on the cross, was in enormous physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. He was carrying all the sin of the world! But in his dying moments, he noticed the pain of other people. He wasn’t thinking about himself, even when he was in agony. When I'm in pain, I should look around and see who else is in pain. I should think of others, even as I care for myself. So how do I do this? With God’s grace, I can look past my own pain. When I do, sin loses its power and I become more like Jesus. With God’s grace, I can help others who are in pain, even as I carry my own deep hurt. God will give me purpose in my pain so I can help many others to move forward in healing and to help others struggling with the same pain.

I would do anything to avoid pain, yet suffering helps me to be like Christ. I should be willing and prepared to do God's will and to suffer for it if necessary. I can overcome sin when I focus on Christ and what he wants me to do. Pain and danger can reveal my true values. If I suffer for doing good and still faithfully obey in spite of suffering will help me be more like him and make a clean break with sin.

Father, thank you for this reminder and I ask that with the help of the Holy Spirit in my life that I can live it out. I also ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my training for a future job role and learning a small group. I ask these things through you Son Jesus’ name, amen.