Emotional pain

Gladys, Minor, Dottie & I went through the 35 suitcases the Arkansas team brought. Debbie had sent school supplies, clothes, Christmas gifts, etc. The team will take 30 bags back to Arkansas when they leave.

We had a meeting with all of the Guatemala young people involved in the transition with the them of professionalism & respect.

What trips us up many times in our walk with Christ or with one another is pain. In fact, this morning I just could not get up at 5am & do my walking. It was not physical. The wedding on Saturday, two sermons on Sunday morning and then presenting my testimony for over 2 hours last night just wore me out. But the real problem was the stress accomplicing those events. We actully took the Christmas picture Sunday morning before the first sermon. Getting 400 children still long enough for a photograph is stressful.

Emotional pain is the most difficult to deal with of all pains. My back pain is real but I know without a doubt that it is stress related as much as the surgery and slow healing. So I awake every day just as you do with the same choice. I will deal with my pains or I will not deal with my pains.

If I refuse to acknowledge my pain it will rob me of joy and peace. It will affect my decisions. Denying pain places me in a position that circumstances can overwhelm me. But when I face my pain head-on Satan retreats. He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world. Satan uses pain of brokenness and physcial problems to stop us in our track.

Michale Jordan said, “If you come to a wall go over it or go around it or go through it but never retreat.” Good advice for all of us.