Read Online Beauty for ashes: receiving emotional healing by Joyce Meyer - Free Book Online
Authors: Joyce Meyer
Tags: Religión, General, Family & Relationships, Spirituality, Christian Theology, Abuse, Child Abuse, Christian Life, Spiritual Growth, Religious Life, Christian Life - General, Adult child sexual abuse victims, Meyer; Joyce, Adult child sexual abuse victims - Religious life
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set forth in His Word and that therefore I had no choice but to submit to it, or be in rebellion against the Lord. But it certainly was painful! Now, I am free and can see the safety and security in godly submission.
Many people get confused about submission. They think that it means that they must do everything an authority tells them to do, no matter what it is. The Bible teaches that we should be submissive only "as it is fit in the Lord" (Colossians 3:18 kjv).
I trust that these examples will help you understand the "doorways of pain" and how they must be faced. Do not look upon them as the entrance to suffering but as the threshold of recovery. Jesus will always be with you to lead you and strengthen you as you pass through these gateways to wholeness.
Remember,painisreally a part of the healing process.If a person falls on concrete and skins his knee badly, he will most definitely hurt. The next day, the pain may be even worse than when the wound was fresh. By that time a scab may have formed over the wound, which is a sign that his body is involved in the process of healing. But although now covered with the protective scab, his wound is also drawing, burning, and throbbing because of the increase of blood rushing to bring healing to the affected area.
The initial wound brings pain, but often healing brings even worse pain. Yet they are not the same kind of pain, nor
61
do they have the same result. Some people's emotional wounds have been ignored for so long they have become infected. That kind of pain is totally different from the pain of healing. One is to be avoided; the other is to be welcomed.No Pain, No Gain!
I gained an excellent piece of wisdom through personal experience: Do not be afraid of pain! As strange as it may seem, the more you dread and resist the pain of healing, the more you increase the effect that pain has upon you.
An example of this truth happened years ago when I went on a fast for the first time in my life. God called me to a twenty-eight-day juice fast. In the beginning, I went through some really hard times. I was very very hungry. In fact, I was so famished that I was in actual pain. As I cried out to the Lord, complaining that I just could not stand it any longer, He answered me. Deep within me I heard the "still small voice" (see 1 Kings 19:12 kjv) of the Lord say to me, "Stop fighting the pain; let it do its work." From that time on, the fast was much easier, even enjoyable, because I knew that every time I felt discomfort, it was a sign of progress.
The rule is that the more pain is resisted, the stronger it becomes. When a pregnant woman goes into labor, the advice she is given by her attendants is, "Relax." They know that the more she fights the pain, the stronger it will become, and the longer the delivery process will take.
When you are going through a difficult time, when the pain becomes so severe that it seems to be more than you can endure, remember Hebrews 12:2: "Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leaderandthe Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the
62
joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despisingandignoring the shame, and is now seatedat the right hand of the throne of God."
Endurance Produces Joy
When you are experiencing pain, do not fight it. Allow it to accomplish its purpose. Remember this promise: "They who sow in tears shall reap in joyandsinging" (Psalm 126:5). Learnto endure whatever you need to, knowing that there is joy on the other side!
Healing may be painful, but you have nothing to lose. You are hurting anyway; you may as well reap the full benefit of your suffering. As long as you allow past abuse to keep you in bondage, you will live in continual pain. At least the pain of healing produces a positive result-joy, instead of misery.
Let your pain lead you out of bondage, not
Many people get confused about submission. They think that it means that they must do everything an authority tells them to do, no matter what it is. The Bible teaches that we should be submissive only "as it is fit in the Lord" (Colossians 3:18 kjv).
I trust that these examples will help you understand the "doorways of pain" and how they must be faced. Do not look upon them as the entrance to suffering but as the threshold of recovery. Jesus will always be with you to lead you and strengthen you as you pass through these gateways to wholeness.
Remember,painisreally a part of the healing process.If a person falls on concrete and skins his knee badly, he will most definitely hurt. The next day, the pain may be even worse than when the wound was fresh. By that time a scab may have formed over the wound, which is a sign that his body is involved in the process of healing. But although now covered with the protective scab, his wound is also drawing, burning, and throbbing because of the increase of blood rushing to bring healing to the affected area.
The initial wound brings pain, but often healing brings even worse pain. Yet they are not the same kind of pain, nor
61
do they have the same result. Some people's emotional wounds have been ignored for so long they have become infected. That kind of pain is totally different from the pain of healing. One is to be avoided; the other is to be welcomed.No Pain, No Gain!
I gained an excellent piece of wisdom through personal experience: Do not be afraid of pain! As strange as it may seem, the more you dread and resist the pain of healing, the more you increase the effect that pain has upon you.
An example of this truth happened years ago when I went on a fast for the first time in my life. God called me to a twenty-eight-day juice fast. In the beginning, I went through some really hard times. I was very very hungry. In fact, I was so famished that I was in actual pain. As I cried out to the Lord, complaining that I just could not stand it any longer, He answered me. Deep within me I heard the "still small voice" (see 1 Kings 19:12 kjv) of the Lord say to me, "Stop fighting the pain; let it do its work." From that time on, the fast was much easier, even enjoyable, because I knew that every time I felt discomfort, it was a sign of progress.
The rule is that the more pain is resisted, the stronger it becomes. When a pregnant woman goes into labor, the advice she is given by her attendants is, "Relax." They know that the more she fights the pain, the stronger it will become, and the longer the delivery process will take.
When you are going through a difficult time, when the pain becomes so severe that it seems to be more than you can endure, remember Hebrews 12:2: "Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leaderandthe Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the
62
joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despisingandignoring the shame, and is now seatedat the right hand of the throne of God."
Endurance Produces Joy
When you are experiencing pain, do not fight it. Allow it to accomplish its purpose. Remember this promise: "They who sow in tears shall reap in joyandsinging" (Psalm 126:5). Learnto endure whatever you need to, knowing that there is joy on the other side!
Healing may be painful, but you have nothing to lose. You are hurting anyway; you may as well reap the full benefit of your suffering. As long as you allow past abuse to keep you in bondage, you will live in continual pain. At least the pain of healing produces a positive result-joy, instead of misery.
Let your pain lead you out of bondage, not
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