Surviving "Challenges"

Since 2011 I have had quite a series of health issues.
One of my friends chose suicide in 2015 rather than take on the challenge of charco ...
My injuries from 2011 were to morph in charco as well following my friends funeral.
And I faced a choice: years of surgeries to beat charco or death as James selected ...
Six surgeries, a massive infection which all but killed me.
And life returned to normal.
Then the deadly infection hit ...
Again a choice: do nothing and die or lose my lower leg.
I chose life again.
And lost all of my memories across the two part surgeries.
But this was but the set up, for far worse to come ...

Now, 15 surgeries later,I am considered a survivor by my team of doctors and nurses.  I am also told that I am actually a pleasure to work on - daily for the last five months!  Which pleases me - it means that my decision to never be  whom I was, is the right decision ...  But as I thought about this, I wondered what does the Bible have to say about life changing disasters, when they come upon us?

You do not have to look far to find those whom are facing surgeries, long recoveries, or even death ...  Not to mention things like job losses, divorce, spousal imprisonment and all other manner of unexpected life's occurrences.

Sure there are verses which show that God is sovereign - He will do as He wishes with  us - to us.  And that is about it, suck it up muffin!
Sorry I do not like the idea whereby God plays with us, as if toys, based on whim and we just have to live with it ...

But what if one of Jesus' parables could be applied here?

Remember the parable were Jesus talks about burying talents in the ground -- talents of course are money in that day. But, what if, we swap pain for the money?
 

Two of the  servants do one thing with the money, and the third servant does something very different, and with very different results.

That third servant takes what he is given and buries it, and by doing so, defines how many of us respond at one time or another.  Then when confronted by the master he says, “I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you do not sow and gathering where you do not winnow.”  And that is true of God. God is hard as well as merciful.  Life is hard as well as marvelous. 

Hard and terrible things can happen to any of us, and it is sorely tempting to dig a hole in the ground and bury all that is hard and terrible in our lives.

But what the parable is saying is that when we bury your pain -  life's challenges, we stop growing.  To bury your life is to have it wither in the ground and die.

The other two servants got it right. They took what life dished out and instead of "burying it", they lived it fully with the faith that one way or another all would work out.  Taking the various sums of money they were given, they “went and traded it”.  They gave of what they had in return for "gain".  The good and faithful servants chose to opened themselves up to risk.

Being the steward of your pain involves the same.  It involves you allowing yourself to live life.

No one knows the mind of God. Like you I search to find truth.  In my seasons of highs and lows, I’ve noticed something, pain causes the opportunity for growth in our lives.  Do not get me  wrong, I prefer pleasure.  Only an idiot wants pain. 

The highs keep us going, but the lows keep us growing — emotionally, intellectually and spiritually until the day finally comes when we are ready to live eternally, without pain, in the presence of our Creator.