Pain is the Pathway
Romans 5:3–4 (NIV)
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Pain is not the enemy. In fact, pain is often the pathway. Paul says suffering leads to perseverance, which shapes character and gives birth to hope. That order matters. If we skip the pain, we forfeit the process. The problem is, we live in a culture that medicates discomfort instead of mining it for meaning.
Modern life has made everything easier, and that’s not always a good thing. Travel used to take days. Meals had to be hunted, grown, or prepared from scratch. Building something required time, patience, and raw effort. Now everything is faster, closer, and easier to access. But with ease comes a lower pain threshold. We expect everything to be instant, including spiritual maturity. We want transformation without tension. But growth doesn’t come through convenience. It comes through enduring resistance with purpose.
God uses pain to grow us, not to punish us. When we stay submitted in the hard moments—when we let the trial do its work—we come out on the other side more whole, not less. The suffering you’re facing may feel like it’s breaking you, but it might just be the thing that’s shaping you into someone stronger, deeper, and more like Christ.
Daily Action:
Reflect on a recent or current pain you’ve tried to avoid. Ask God what He might be trying to build in you through it. Don’t waste the suffering. Let it teach you something.
Prayer:
Father, I admit I don’t like pain, but I believe You can use it. Teach me to stop running from it and start growing through it. Build perseverance in me. Shape my character. Fill me with a hope that cannot be shaken. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Pain is not the enemy. In fact, pain is often the pathway. Paul says suffering leads to perseverance, which shapes character and gives birth to hope. That order matters. If we skip the pain, we forfeit the process. The problem is, we live in a culture that medicates discomfort instead of mining it for meaning.
Modern life has made everything easier, and that’s not always a good thing. Travel used to take days. Meals had to be hunted, grown, or prepared from scratch. Building something required time, patience, and raw effort. Now everything is faster, closer, and easier to access. But with ease comes a lower pain threshold. We expect everything to be instant, including spiritual maturity. We want transformation without tension. But growth doesn’t come through convenience. It comes through enduring resistance with purpose.
God uses pain to grow us, not to punish us. When we stay submitted in the hard moments—when we let the trial do its work—we come out on the other side more whole, not less. The suffering you’re facing may feel like it’s breaking you, but it might just be the thing that’s shaping you into someone stronger, deeper, and more like Christ.
Daily Action:
Reflect on a recent or current pain you’ve tried to avoid. Ask God what He might be trying to build in you through it. Don’t waste the suffering. Let it teach you something.
Prayer:
Father, I admit I don’t like pain, but I believe You can use it. Teach me to stop running from it and start growing through it. Build perseverance in me. Shape my character. Fill me with a hope that cannot be shaken. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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