Joyful Heartache

Right now I’m listening to a Christian radio station the song(s) that are on presently are ones in which speak of the pain in a life. One of the songs was about losing a loved one... called something to the way of “When Superheroes Die”. The reason these few songs are currently playing is because someone has recently come to such lose and let the DJ know about it. While the songs were playing I was reading a bit about the Compassion child I recently decided to sponsor. His name is Pritom Sarker Porash and is about six years old, He’s from Bangladesh and the Lord loves him just as much as He loves you! It’s seems it is becoming less common for me to focus on matters such as these (not necessarily a bad thing) but for some reason our Lord has helped me to see such a beauty in the painful things in life. I think of that now as I consider the lady in Edmonton area who admitted her pain over someone very close passing away on her and as I think of this boy Pritom and his family.
Why is it that I find such beauty in the painful/hard things of life? Well there are a number of reasons I could guess for such a thing but let me first share a couple of verses with you I’ve been enlightened to lightly. “...But let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position; and let the rich man glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away...” ~Ja. 1:9-10. At first these verses are fairly confusing but looking a bit deeper helps bring out the meaning. It is an “upside down kingdom” in which we have been adopted into as God’s children and yet so often even as believers we get off track. If we were to write these verses it would be more like, “He who is living pretty good (has wealth, great relationships, and the such) let him rejoice for what he has; he who doesn’t have so much in life let him bag the Lord for mercy.” We didn’t write the Biblical words though, James did and he did so through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
To help understand what is being said here look towards the start of the chapter, James says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trails, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” ~Ja. 2-4. Why is it that we are to rejoice in our trials? Why should the one of “humble circumstances” glory in his position? Why should the rich be thankful for that which humbles him? For this reason, true and enduring riches are not found in things or in what the world seeks. True and enduring riches are found in the Lord and being near to Him. As we allow those hurtful/hard situations and times in our life to draw us ever so nearer to our King we will find a beauty in the Lord like we have never known before and more and more our hearts will be satisfied with little else.
So then it is not so much the pain/hurt in life that I find beauty in but rather the wondrous riches the Lord draws out of such. If you are hurting right now, for whatever reason, may you be reminded of the beauty which the Lord is trying to create within you and let Him do His work. If you only know those who are hurting this day believe God for them and comfort them with His love.