How can it be so?How can pain turn out to be a blessing and how can we process this through the phases of life? Do you mean to say that i can warmly embrace pain and suffering and actu not loathe at its detestable effects?
In Isaiah Jesus is depicted as the suffering servant .
Isa 42:3 ISV A crushed reed he will not break, and a fading candle he won’t snuff out. He’ll bring forth justice for the truth.
Isa 53:3 ISV “He was despised and rejected by others, and a man of sorrows, intimately familiar with suffering; and like one from whom people hide their faces; and we despised him and did not value him..
4.Surely he has borne our sufferings and carried our sorrows; yet we considered him stricken, and struck down by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, and he was crushed for our iniquities, and the punishment that made us whole was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed.
These portions of scripture are messianic prophecies,meant to be fulfilled in the fullness of time by christ coming to the world. He would come ,live as man,suffer pain,rejection and betrayal but by his death bring salvation to mankind.'The blessing of pain' right?
The birth of Jesus as announced by the angels in luke 2:8 as good news Of great joy to all people.But was this so for his young mother Mary whose life was about to be thrown off balance by this immaculate birth? What about his betrothal to Joseph?How was this birth going to be explained to a community that valued chastity and purity before marriage?Thank God that the assurance came and Joseph was able to stand by Mary all through,the momentarily pain brought joy at the end..common they became the proud guardian of the God man himself!
I believe the message of christmas is more than whats meet the eye,more than baby jesus on a manger or a silent night in Bethlehem when christ was born.Our imagination should be stretched to take into account what his life on earth really meant and what his death and resurrection means for us and to somehow grasp its full effects.(Phil 3:9-10.)
I believe with the advancement of technology and innovation, christmas songs should capture this reality really well:not just away. In a manger, ooh holy night, ooh come let us adore him...this is a good starting point but where does the reality of christmas stretch towards? What about the Jesus who grew in stature and in favor with God and men?what about the Jesus who the zeal of his father's house consumes him,what about his life in us now after his death and resurrection?Do we wait till easter to run the drill?The reality is with us all day all year long..
Because Jesus came and lived as a man, suffered died and rose again,we have a fresh and a ressurected view of our human experience. To here is hope in pain and laughter in the cry.
The writer of the hymn "its well with my soul..Horatio spafford wrote the hymn after loosing gour daughters.pain and grief didn't wipe away his pain.Apostle Paul went through a fair share of suffering from being stoned to imprisonment to being shipwrecked to being bitten by a snake (2cor 11:21-33).There is a hope that a man/woman with christ carries that no suffering on earth can wipe away. ..tafakari hayo.!
