Daily Devotion

Pain is Temporary

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."  2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

Happy Sunday everyone!  I pray that everyone had a truly wonderful day.  It was bittersweet for me.  I made it back from Savannah in time to make it to church, but my mind was on my daddy...I know you are probably like just get over it already...but I did not anticipate this being this way. 

I have been trying to think of ways to decorate my room.  I got new furniture so I figured I could spruce up the decorations and accents in the process.  I decided against painting because I waited until I got the furniture almost to break down my last bed.  Plus I did not want to have to worry about painting it back when I move out.  So I have been considering getting some wall stencils or "wallies" done on each wall as a bit of inspiration and a splash of color.  I found a website online that can do them custom for you...which turned out to be terribly expensive.  So I decided to look at the pre-printed ones to see if I could go with them.  As I was looking I came across a statement that I am pretty familiar with, and serves as my mantra during difficult times: Pain is Temporary.  I have to thank my sister, friend, and soror Monique for teaching me this because it truly changed my life for the better.  But this one was different because it also said Quitting is FOREVER.  And it made me think back to how many times I recited this to myself during 2005 and 2006 and since that time.  I told myself day after day that Pain was temporary and that I had to endure the pain to get to my healing.  I told myself day after day when I returned to class after being hospitalized for two weeks and a life change, pain is temporary, so that I could walk to class.  I told myself every time someone asked what was wrong with me and what had happened to me that pain is temporary, and this is too as I believed that God would restore me.  Every difficult point I have faced since I told myself that and I still say it today.  The beauty of finding this is now I can complete that sentence.  I cannot quit on life because this life is temporary.  I have an eternity to look forward to spending with both of my daddies (that is, God, and my earthly daddy).  I have an eternity to look forward to no more medicines, no more heartaches, no more tears of hurt.  I now look past my current circumstances to trust in God's promises.

I felt pressed to write about this since yesterday, and the weird thing about this is, I've been calling out that scripture above for about a week now, thinking it was something else.  As I believe I'm done crying now, I realize my "new normal" life without my daddy is not so bad, but I have a lifetime of memories to hold me over until this temporary situation is over.  So from now on, in the midst of your pain and trials, tell them that PAIN IS TEMPORARY because QUITTING IS FOREVER.  Do you want to spend eternity without God?  I know I don't because that will mean that I will not see my daddy again.  So keep pressing onward and endure because when Christ comes, we can all share in His glory for a job well done.

Love ya!

"Fight the good fight for the faith. Keep holding on to eternal life, to which you were called and about which you gave a good testimony in front of many witnesses."  1 Timothy 6:12 ISV

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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord.  Isaiah 54:17
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