Pain is most times unavoidable. It actually means physical suffering or distress, as due to injury, illness, loss, etc. Considering that it is one of the emotions that is not pleasant, a lot of people act wrongly when they have to experience it for a moment and sadly for some others, it lasts for a very long period of time.
As a result of the feeling of pain, a lot of people have hurt others with their words, actions and decisions. The sad thing however , is the fact that making others suffer pain because you are in pain, does not make you feel better or take away your pain completely.
One perfect example of someone who misused this emotion is Jabez’s mother. Although the Bible did not record her name, neither was any of her deeds recorded, except that she named one of her sons something that describes how she felt at the time she was bringing him forth.
That a woman experiences pain at child birth is obviously natural, considering the size of a new born and the channel through which he or she has to come through! Even when it is not a natural birth, the anesthesia given to help during surgery, can only work for the present moment, after which the body part that was cut up will have no choice but to react to the feeling of pain. It is simply natural.
Since the name Jabez means ” he causes pain,” we can as well assume that his birth was probably more painful than every other child birth phase his mother ever went through. This unusual pain that the mother of Jabez suffered, while bringing him forth could have been either physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. The truth of the matter is the pain she felt at that time was unbearable, so much that she decided to have something in memorial of how she felt.
Unfortunately, her memorial was something that would affect the destiny of her precious son. Through the pages of the Bible, there are several records that show how important names are. Which is the reason the meaning of names were reveled to the parents of every child God had divine assignments for.
Considering that names are so powerful and they define a person, and reveal their purpose, one would have expected something better from Jabez’s mother, but the power of emotions is what played out at the moment she pronounced her son “pain.”
Jabez on the other hand understood the effect of his mother’s pronouncement on his life while she was in pain, and so he turned to the One who is able to nullify the effect of the meaning of the name given to him, as a result of someone’s misuse of emotions.
1 CHRONICLES 4: 9-10
“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, ‘I gave birth to him in pain.’ Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.’ And God granted his request.”
Jabez could have allowed his mother’s pronouncement while she was in pain define his life, or make him a depressed, bitter or despaired person, but he did not. He chose to make the best use of his emotions by not blaming anyone for his limitations in life. Rather, he prayed his way out of the pain planted into his destiny as a result of the pain someone else suffered.
Stephen on the other hand is one person who did not allow the present pain he suffered lead him into making the wrong decision. He suffered pain for doing the right thing, yet he handled his emotion well, by praying for those who caused him the undeserving pain that led to his death.
ACTS 7:59
“As Stephen was being stoned to death, he called out, “Lord Jesus, please welcome me!” He knelt down and shouted, “Lord, don’t blame them for what they have done.” Then he died.”
When in pain, do you like Jabez’s mother sow the words of pain, do you make others suffer directly or indirectly for how you feel? Or do you like Stephen make the best use of use emotions by blessing others, considering that your decision not to do so does not reduce the pain you feel, neither does it take it away completely?
God gave us emotions, but He expects us to rely on Him completely, so we can use it as He wants us to, not as our feelings tell us to. Make the best use of your emotions by praying for others while in pain, instead of looking for how to make them experience pain as well.
It is however my prayer that God takes pain far away from us, and also that He give as many that are going through one pain or the other at the moment the grace to overcome, just as Jesus did, because He had a perfect understanding of Gods’s Word.
2 CORINTHIANS 4: 17
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
What is to come is greater and better than what is at the moment, so do not allow the emotions that comes with the pain that you feel right now deprive you of the joy that is to come.
Author Profile
- Temitope is the founder of thesoulmeal.com, an online platform that she shares with her God-given spiritual family and friends. She is a speaker, teacher and youth counselor. She is passionate about inspiring people to find their identity in Christ. Catch her interviewing inspiring leaders on Tongue of the Learned Podcast
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