Life brings painful times. That pain is not always a direct result of your sin or the sins of others. Sometimes, life and circumstances bring tough things to us. When that happens and we begin to try and reconcile the idea of a good, powerful God and our pain we can find our faith shaken and our commitment challenged. Pain is inevitable; it cannot be avoided. But what it does to us and what we do with it can be influenced by our choices and responses. Before pain comes our way, we have to decide that the next time it comes we will not waste our pain, we will not get lost in bitterness or despondency, and we will draw near to the Lord through it all.
