God's Purpose in my Chronic Pain

On my old blog, I wrote quite a bit about the chronic neck pain I was having several years ago. What started out as annoying, intermittent pain gradually became continuous, chronic pain and made sleeping (and living) a pain in the neck. Ha! I went to chiropractors, physical therapy, and motion therapy. Some of it helped a little. For awhile. In addition to the neck pain, I eventually began having intermittent burning sensations throughout my whole upper body and ended up in the emergency room one day. They referred me to a neurologist who diagnosed me (in about 5 min) with Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome.

Long story short, someone gave me a book by John Sarno, M.D. (thank you, Lord - and Terri). It's called Healing Back Pain but it's about a lot more than back pain. It's about the connection between chronic pain and stress. After several years of chronic pain, God used this book to heal me. I'm still definitely susceptible to this type of pain but when I start to feel pain, I can actually feel the pain leave when I focus on what I learned in this book.

Without a doubt, I believe God appointed this trial specifically for me. It's so encouraging to me to trust in this God who works all things together for my good. Looking back, I can see how he used this pain to:

a) Turn my attention from what's not important to what is.

b) Show me my utter helplessness and dependence upon him.

c)  Get me on a medication that put 30 lbs on me and helped to begin a process to free me from some things I've battled since my teen years (see old blog)

I've been off any meds for 3 years and if I had to put a number on it, I'd say I'm 90% improved, which is amazing. But even more amazing is the incredible way in which my heavenly Father continuously works in my life to painstakingly free me from the sins that entangle me and turns my eyes upon the most satisfying treasure in the universe. Him.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28

 

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." - Matthew 13:44