No matter how much pain you are in right now, God is with you and wants to transform your life. How do I know that? From first-hand experience coming out of my own walk with Christ.
This story is just one example from earlier in my life when I was a Corporate CEO. I was fighting a two-year battle with listlessness and fatigue. I was deeply depressed, agitated, stressed, constantly weary, and living with an overwhelming sense of futility. It was very difficult getting up in the morning, to say nothing of going to work. My responsibilities as a CEO, husband, and father did not stop, of course, and I wondered if I would make it through this seemingly hopeless season of my life.
It felt like I was living in a torture chamber. On top of all that was constant pain from reconstructive surgery on my anterior cruciate ligament in my knee, the most serious knee injury you can have. Back surgery had left me with permanent nerve damage in my left leg that produced constant burning and misery every minute of every day. I also had major surgery to rebuild my right middle index finger to avoid amputation after breaking it over ten times playing football. If that was not enough, I was suffering from post-concussion syndrome from multiple blows to my head from playing sports. I had brain fog.
A tough time to be sure. And I still had to make the payments on a mansion and sports car. The stress was unbelievable. I was taking two pain pills every night to sleep. I needed them and had convinced myself that it was “only two per day.” But God helped me see I was using the excruciating pain I felt all day to take two pain pills at night and said stop. So I did. I can see now that God blessed that decision. He knew how bad I felt. Even smiling was a chore.
During this nightmare, I managed to stay connected to God who kept reaching out for my hand. I could barely keep my eyes open and was constantly deflated inside, but I still had my quiet time with God every day. With deep hope and trust in God, I prayed incessantly for a miracle and relief from the physical and emotional pain.
When I screamed out loudest and with the most expectancy, God answered. He led me to a new physician who acted on a hunch and diagnosed adult-onset thyroid disorder. After a few months of treatment, almost everything came back in a blaze of God’s glory.
The lesson from this story goes way beyond the diagnosis and cessation of discomfort. The two-years I spent in excruciating pain were instrumental in building my faith and exploding it in an awesome way. This episode became an important component in God’s transformation of my heart. He had stripped me down to where there was nothing left but my helpless self. I gave everything over to him and became unified with my Lord. He had brought me to my knees and then stood me up like a mountain.
This was the first of many life challenges that have moved me onto the Love God Fear Nothing highway.
“Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.” Joshua 10:25
