John 14:27(NLT)
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
I was thirty-three years old when I broke my elbow. It hurt so bad that I almost went into shock from the pain. Not knowing initially that I was injured to the degree I was, it took almost twelve hours for me to convince myself I could no longer tough it out. I’ve never been a fan of going to the hospital, but I was in unbearable pain, so I managed to drive myself to the emergency room. After almost an hour of x-rays and countless times of being asked by the attending physician to hold my arm in an uncomfortable and extremely painful position, finally she said, “Ok, the tough part is over!”
When I heard those words, a sigh of relief radiated throughout my entire body. I had never experienced that kind of pain for such a long period of time, and I was desperate for relief. I wanted my discomfort to be over, and there was no question in my mind that even though it didn’t come as quickly as I wanted it to, my pain would be treated, and my elbow would eventually heal. All of us place a tremendous amount of confidence in medical facilities and professionals. They’ve been trained very well to care for us. We will even be willing to go through more pain if they ask, because we believe it will ultimately yield a good result. So, we have to ask ourselves, “why do we allow our faith in others to be more than our faith in the promises of God?”
When I think of John 14:27, I can’t help but consider the many times all of us experience discomfort as we go through life’s hiccups and pain. We forget about the peace that Christ offers and suffer needlessly. Like me, holding out until I couldn’t take it anymore, we try to tough it out in our circumstances or hold our breath until the hard part is over. We tell ourselves that things are going to get better, so we try to hang in there. We do this a lot in relationships. We suffer through toxic behaviors, attitudes, and poor treatment because we think the person will eventually come to their senses and treat us better. It’s important for us to understand on the most serious level possible that sometimes, often times, the person doesn’t change.
When we find it difficult to walk away from a relationship that’s not good for us, we are choosing to suffer. Many of us think we can stay in it and be okay, but we’re losing bits and pieces of ourselves that we can’t get back. We must recognize that as God’s children, we can have His peace, and no one can give it to us but Him. We don’t have to be troubled by a stronghold that is created from a fear of loneliness. The pain of clinging to the wrong person or thing can be treated, and Jesus Christ has just the right medicine.
God wants us to have someone who will help us walk our journeys in peace, spiritual maturity, and emotional stability. He doesn’t want us holding on to anything out of fear. He tells us in 1John 4:18(NKJV), “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” Fear is torment, but it also has an opposite. It’s faith! And faith is freedom!
Hebrews 11:6 tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith, for our God is a Rewarder. He rewards those of us who diligently seek Him. So, we don’t have to suffer physical or emotional abuse in relationships, because they were not created for the purpose of suffering. They were created to help us be the men and women that God has called us to be. We must trust that the tough part can be over when we focus on His peace and release the thing that keeps us from it.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“The Tough Part is Over!” written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2019. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.