"Painful Progress"

“Painful Progress”

 

About 20 years ago I had surgery to correct a deviated septum which (according to Karen) had caused me to snore. As I was waking up and still under the effects of anesthesia Karen, the doctor, and our nurse friend Brenda came into blurry view. I waved at my guests and Karen said to the doctor, “He’s trying to say thank you” to which he replied, “Oh no, he’s not!” (He was right!) After a couple of weeks of uncomfortable recovery the nocturnal music was alleviated and for the most part has remained so since.

In February Karen had foot surgery then two days later fell and broke her arm which necessitated another operation. And then came physical therapy, which was not a pleasant experience with the bending, stretching, etc. But it was needed to regain strength and range of motion.

Both our experiences can be summarized with “No pain, no gain”. In other words, for progress in physical healing and recovery to take place discomfort couldn’t be avoided. The same carries through into other areas of life. For example, we’ve heard of people who have built successful businesses who invested (in Churchill’s words) “blood, toil, tears, and sweat” (not to mention time and money) to produce lasting results. The problem is that many of us don’t want to put in the effort needed for positive outcomes.

Just after Jesus fed the crowd of 5000+ He sent His disciples by boat to Bethsaida (Mark 6:45). When a gale came up He saw His friends “…straining at the oars….” (Verse 48). The same Greek word is used by a centurion in Matthew 8:6 who came to Jesus on behalf of his servant who was “…paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” So the disciples were in pain trying to make progress before Jesus showed up walking on the water and got in the boat, then the storm calmed down (Verse 51).

Jesus never promised us a life of ease—in fact, just the opposite (“In this world you will have trouble.”—John 16:33). The Apostle Paul writes, “…Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12). Our journey is difficult—but God goes with us each step of the way (“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”—Hebrews 13:5). So He’s our Partner in this painful progress we call life. What else could we ask for or need?

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan