During our discussions on pain this past month, it is clear we have all been through a painful experience or we are currently in one. Pain is, unfortunately, a part of life. But pain is also something else – a potential bond maker.
People who have pain experiences that are similar, like the loss of a loved one, a divorce, a career loss, a physical illness, can really relate to others who find themselves in the same boat. It often reminds me of this part of scripture:
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NLT
And in these verses, I believe lies the answer to how we move from pain to peace. Those who use their pain for the greater good of helping others traveling down the same road usually conquer the grip of pain. Oh, they don’t necessarily forget the pain or not feel it from time to time, but they don’t allow it to dictate their circumstances.
It’s important in times of deep pain that we hold on to this verse:
Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30:5 NLT
Truly the night may last days to weeks to months, but the morning is coming and it will bring joy with it!
We are so excited that this year at the She Steps Forward with Grace conference, we are addressing both pain and joy through various breakout sessions! Here are the breakout sessions that are relevant to our discussion:
- Your Greatest Pain is the Life Raft to Someone Else’s Hopeless Situation
- The Four Lies of Happiness
- Rising Above the Storm: 7 Steps to Reclaiming Happiness and Restoring Joy
- Trauma to Triumph: How To A.C.T In Response To Trauma
Those are just 4 of the 10 breakout sessions we have on tap for conference! We hope you can join us!
For more information on conference, follow us on the Facebook Event Page (click here).
You can purchase tickets HERE.
Our greatest desire is to come alongside you and assist you through this journey we call life. The conference is just one of the many ways we do that.
Next week, we are turning our attention to the emotion of peace! We know that God desires you to have peace in your heart no matter the circumstances that surround you. We are not exactly experts on having daily peace, but all of us are working hard to get there. We can’t wait to share our hearts with you on this very important topic. For some of you, it will be a game changer!
Until next week, know that we are praying over all that you have shared with us this past month and that we are believing that God is going to turn your pain into your purpose!!!
Founder, Transforming Love Ministries
Creator, She Steps Forward Women’s Conference
For more of Elaine’s story, you can find Love Echoed Back: I Cried Out; He Answered on amazon.com.
Please note all scripture was taken from the NLT.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.