Well things were rolling along smoothly on Radiation Road, cruising day after day with slowly increasing but tolerable redness, tenderness and irritation. Then we went rolling downtothe beach on a bike ride with some other families. It was a great day biking from a park (where we love to play pickleball too!) near our house down to Doheny State Beach (our go-to long board surf beach) along a creek that empties into the ocean there. The dads picked up lunch from a local favorite Mexican place and we eat/played around there for a bit. Then we took the trail & headed south down the coast to the San Clemente pier for ice cream & treats (= Bear Coast Coffee for me!). Then we retraced our steps and headed back. It was a cool crisp beautiful sunny day! Couldn’t beat the views or the company!
That night after I showered & we were getting ready for bed, I was putting cream on the radiated area of my right chest & axila as I do everyday. When I lifted up my arm I saw a big circle of red, raw open skin. It looked like I got rug-burned in my armpit! Like the kind that swings like crazy when you get near, especially on the already thin, tender skin of the underarm. And I couldn’t even feel it...besides a rubbed, raw feeling at the back of my arm where there was nothing to see. As much as I was thankful to be spared the pain, I gave me a great appreciation for role of pain in our lives- it helps make us aware of something that needs addressing or fixing or stopping. In the physical sense there’s a wound or injury that needs medical attention, rest and healing. God too uses pain in our lives to get our attention, to prevent from hurting ourselves more&/or worse and find rest and spiritual healing in Him! There is purpose in the pain! It’s a necessity that we can be thankful for as it helps prevent further potentially permanent, long term damage. It may hurt but not nearly as much as if we kept going in the same direction along the same destructive paths without addressing the causing issue or agent. Without the pain, I was unaware of the injury to my fragile skin and if left unaddressed it could’ve gotten worse, infected, etc. I wouldn’t have known about it to take care of it had it not been for my mirror to see it clearly in my reflection. Once I saw it I carefully treated and cared for it to prevent further damage and promote healing. Another gift from the Lord! He tells us in James to look into the mirror of His Word to see our motives, Lind and movements through the lens of the Creator of life and Designer of how we’re supposed to live the lives He so fearfully and wonderfully created for His glory!
Pain gets our attention where it’s needed and mirrors help us see ourselves clearly especially the blind spots. Thank You, loving Father!
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials (aka painful circumstances) of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4
“Have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons (/daughters)? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him. for the Lord disciplines the one He loves and chastises every son whom He receives .” ..God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?...shall we not much more be subject to the Father...& live?...He disciplines is for our good that we may share in His holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:5b-11
Why would God give us more of what He knows won’t last when He’s such a great & awesome God! He’s only going to give us real, lasting treasure as His gifts/blessings!
If you want to hear God speak, read your Bible our loud! Or see signs from Him, just open the eyes He created and look at all He created all around you! It’s all His handiwork and has His fingerprints all over it!
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” James 1:22-25
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