Turning My Pain into a Testimony

In 2 Corinthians 6:4 I read, “In everything we do we show that we are God’s servants by patiently enduring troubles, hardships, and difficulties.” (GNT)

I often think that the world is impressed with my success and how I enjoy my prosperity. But in reality they're more impressed by how I, as a Christ follower, handle adversity.

When I go through pain, non-believers around me are watching me. They’re wondering what it means to be a Christian when I’m in the same kind of pain they are. Does it look any different?

The truth is, I have the same pain as everybody else. I just have a different source of comfort.

My successes shouldn’t give me as much credibility as much as how I handle my suffering. The more honest and vulnerable I am about the suffering in my life, the more powerful my impact will be to others.

The apostle Paul was a pro at using his pain to model his message. He says in 2 Corinthians 6:4, “In everything we do we show that we are God’s servants by patiently enduring troubles, hardships, and difficulties” (GNT).

My deepest life message will come out of my deepest pain. The world doesn’t need to see Christ followers who are perfect or have it all together. They need something real and authentic. They need to see Christians who are patient in pain, who walk faithfully in suffering.

Every area of my life where I’ve experienced pain is a testimony. Has God helped me work my way out of deep debt? That was painful—but it’s also a testimony. God has helped me patiently endure chronic pain. That’s also testimony. Anywhere I’ve had pain and experienced God’s help is a testimony.

I should not waste my pain; and don’t waste my hurt. People all around me are going through the very thing I’ve already gone through, and they need my help. They need me to comfort them.

The greatest witness of God’s love in all of history was not Jesus’ perfect life, his sermons, his miracles, or his stories. It was his suffering.

God can use my faithfulness in suffering to great effect in someone’s life. In fact, my faithfulness in suffering could be my greatest witness!