Casandra Martin

My son had his tonsils out last week. After years of strep throat, sinus infections, and general misery, the doctor said it was time for them to go. The doctor walked through the procedure, outlined the process of recovery, and warned us about the pain. He was blunt that the days following the surgery would be dominated by discomfort. Despite the warnings, my son was ready to go. Anything had to be better than all the problems with his sinuses.

Then he woke up.

My son made it through the surgery fine. He is expected to make a full recovery. But today he is dealing with the pain. Somehow the warnings about pain never quite capture the reality. His face aches. It hurts to swallow. He has pain medicine, but it has to be taken with food, which, of course, has to be swallowed. He has to endure the pain in order to be able to experience the health he longs to have.

I see myself in his tears. I am infected by sin. In order to bring me to a healthier place, God must remove those pieces of me that belong to the world. Transformation is about more than installing peace, joy, and contentment. If I am going to wear the image of Christ, God is going to have rip out pride, anger, and greed. And it hurts. It is painful to die to self. It is hard to let go of me, and embrace a new way of thinking, walking, talking, and acting. The familiar, even if infected, is comfortable. I have to be willing to give up comfortable in order to experience everything it means to be cherished in Christ.

My Jesus Resolution today is to surrender to the Great Physician. God wants me to be healthy, strong, and shaped for His glory. He will do all that is necessary to form Jesus in me. Even if that means pain. Even if that means asking me to let go of comfort. Even if that means walking through the fire because that is faith is refined. God doesn’t inflict pain unnecessarily, but He does use pain to help us shed the world and take on the image of Jesus.