Dalton First United Methodist Church Podcast
Playing Hurt | Part 2 of It's a New Season - Pastor Steven Usry
As we draw wisdom from the biblical figure Paul's own narrative of suffering, let's reassure ourselves with the divine truth that God has a plan for us even in the most searing moments. We'll immerse ourselves in prayer, opening our lives to God in the rawest sense, and trust His ability to bring healing and salvation. It's a chance to connect, abide, and grow with Him, shifting our focus from the transient hurts of this world to the promise of an unchangeable eternity. So, come along and engage in this heartfelt exploration of pain and growth, and let's unearth God's purpose in it all together.
Playing Hurt | Part 2 of It's a New Season - Pastor Steven Usry
As we draw wisdom from the biblical figure Paul's own narrative of suffering, let's reassure ourselves with the divine truth that God has a plan for us even in the most searing moments. We'll immerse ourselves in prayer, opening our lives to God in the rawest sense, and trust His ability to bring healing and salvation. It's a chance to connect, abide, and grow with Him, shifting our focus from the transient hurts of this world to the promise of an unchangeable eternity. So, come along and engage in this heartfelt exploration of pain and growth, and let's unearth God's purpose in it all together.
Playing Hurt | Part 2 of It's a New Season - Pastor Steven Usry
You are listening to the Dalton First United Methodist Church podcast. To learn more about Dalton First United Methodist Church, visit us online at DaltonFUMCcom. We hope that today's message from Pastor Stephen Usry inspires and encourages you.
Speaker 2:Last week we started a brand new series called it's a New Season, and in this series we're talking about just not the fall season that we've launched into, but a new season going on here in the life of our church. If you are a part of the family here, you know that God is doing a new thing, and so I've invited you, as we started last week and we go into this second week of our series, not only to think about what God is doing in our midst, communally, congregationally, but to think about your own family, the season that you're moving into, what God might be doing in this next season of your life. I don't always mention the beautiful flowers that we have in our worship service, but I thought about it today in relation to this new season. These flowers today are in honor of Barbara and Alan Ward and their anniversary. Happy anniversary to you guys 56 years. You can celebrate that with them. I share that because, as folks were gathering this morning before worship began, maybe before our Sunday school hour, there's a whole group of folks who were standing in a circle, and my wife and I are just at 30 years Now. That may seem like a lot, but all of a sudden, when somebody's celebrating 60 years and 56 years, you recognize that God's given us a bunch of good seasons. But we've got hopefully should the Lord tarry more seasons right, and in every season it's an opportunity for us to grow.
Speaker 2:By the way, I always share a message outline on the very back of your worship guide. I invite you to turn to the last page there, open up that message outline and maybe grab a pin on the little seat back in front of you there and take some notes. This morning I'm literally going to be reading some scriptures and say circle that word and let's just focus in on that. I invite you to fill in the blanks, but maybe the most important thing that you would write on that little outline, there is the whisper of God for you and your family, for your life, in this next season. It is a new season, september the 21st, which is right around the corner. It's this week, right Is the start of the fall season, literally, and we're already seeing the temperatures change. Have you noticed? The temperatures are changing. The temperatures are dropping, the leaves are going to start falling I watched some of them fall this very week and our world around us begins to change. For me, it's a reminder that God moves in different seasons and in different ways of our lives. Now I also know this. Every fall I get a little bit more excited about football. I'm a football fan. It's football season Dalton is a football town, by the way, and so I know you're I know not everybody's a football fan, but we're each probably rooting for our own team on these Saturdays that roll through.
Speaker 2:I I know this morning I'm going to reference a bunch of different sports, but I did play football. I wasn't nearly as successful as my son who played college football, but I played little small ball all the way up into high school ball. And today I want to talk to you about what it's like to play any season. In any season that you play, you're going to get hurt. In any season you're going to have pains and wounds. In any season you can't I would dare say you can get through a football game if you're on the field that you're not going to have an injury, a hurt that you hope doesn't keep you from staying on the field. But, boy, sometimes those pains, those hurts.
Speaker 2:Let me tell you a couple of stories. I was a running back when I played football. I played both ways running back and defensive end. But I'll never forget one of my pains.
Speaker 2:I had just made the varsity football team in my high school. I bet my wife doesn't even know this story. I had just made the varsity team and they put the young guys on the field, all the newbies, all the freshmen. They put them on the field receiving a kickoff versus all the elite varsity players. And so I was one of the guys in the very back, one of the guys who was waiting for the kick to fall out of the sky, and those varsity players kicked the ball off and the ball went to the other guy, not to me. My job was to run over and make sure he's got the ball and as soon as I know he's got the ball, to turn around and block. What I did not know was that opening kickoff of the first practice was often times the ways that the senior players put the freshman players in their place. I mean, they teed off on all of us young guys.
Speaker 2:And there was a guy on my football team. His name was Ant. Ant was the smallest little guy you ever seen in your life, but he could pick up three times his body weight. He was a monster in the gym and when I turned around, the ball was secured. I think I got about halfway around and Ant cleaned my clock. He ran over me full force. He wasn't even trying to tackle that guy, he was going for me.
Speaker 2:The next thing I remember was laying on my back and looking up at the bright blue sky. Everything in my body was hurting. I remember thinking to myself oh Lord, I was going to be so embarrassed if I had to be carted off of that field my very first time taking the field. And I just remember saying a simple prayer oh Lord, jesus, help me stand up and walk off of this field. I remember rolling onto my belly I'm telling you, everything in my body hurt, getting to my knees, pushing myself up, and I remember starting to walk off I must have looked really weird, walking off that field as slow as I could, and I saw something out of my left eye. It was Ant laying on the ground. Ant had hurt both of us. Both of us and I was I don't mean this bad, but Ant was laying down and I was walking off. Woo, I was excited. It took a little bit of the sting of the pain away.
Speaker 2:You're going to get hurt if you play in a contact sport like football. Right, I was a coach for my son the one who ended up playing college football and we were just getting beat. He was a quarterback and by the time he'd get the ball they were over the line grabbing a hold of him and at one moment he runs off the field crying. That's unlike my son. I was like you're the quarterback, get back out there. He said dad. I looked at him. He had blood coming out of his eye. Go to the sidelines. I guess that's good enough excuse. Go to the sidelines, we'll put the other quarterback in. Guys, you're going to get hurt.
Speaker 2:You're going to get hurt in any season of life, and what I want to talk to you this morning about is what do you do with pain? Every one of us is going to experience pain in this life. Now, my concern is that folks will experience pain and not understand what they're supposed to do with that pain. One of the most important things about pain is you're supposed to learn something from the painful moments of life, something you're supposed to be a learner, and not only that. You're supposed to take the pains that come into your world according to the Bible and use that to help others with their pains. Now here's the reality. Pain in this life is inevitable. You might want to write that in your margin somewhere. Pain is inevitable. There is no such thing as a pain-free life. To hurt is actually part of what it means to be human, and so we're going to have pains in the different seasons of life that we go through. My concern as your pastor is that you always understand. What am I learning from this pain? What can I learn from this pain and how can I use this pain to help other people?
Speaker 2:You know this Bible that we read. We pick up the Bible where students of God's Word. But do you recognize that many of the stories in the Bible are stories of people who've gone through trials, they've gone through temptations, they've gone through struggles, they've gone through pain, and then we get to see how God transformed those painful, hurtful moments into phenomenal stories of redemption. That's a good picture of us. That's how God wants to work in our lives. James, the physical brother of Jesus, who did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah until he saw him resurrected by the way, that'll make you a believer.
Speaker 2:James, wrote in his letter. And look at the words. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sister. By the way, I can say this it's very hard Sometimes I read the Bible and I go. Is that possible? Sometimes it can be very hard, when you're undergoing trials and hurts and pains, to see a joyful side of it. But what James is saying is we can, because we know God's going to be at work in it. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Speaker 2:Notice that word trials of many kinds. In all different seasons. There are so many different kinds of pain. I mean this morning for you. You might have a physical pain, there's emotional pains, there's mental pains. You might be going through a painful relationship, you might have some financial pains going on in your world. Sometimes people with the greatest pains is painful memories. Sometimes there are painful truths that we have to face and sometimes there are painful losses. James is saying consider it pure joy when you face trials, when you go through pains of many, many different kinds, because you know that the testing will what Of your faith will you might want to circle that word produce that the pain can produce something if you will allow it to do that. I'm going to give you this morning a definition of pain and I'm going to invite you to write it in your margin. Here's a simple definition that's not incredibly intellectual Pain is a warning light.
Speaker 2:Might want to write that down. Pain is a warning light that something is wrong. It can be financial. You, all of a sudden, you have financial pain. Warning light pops on Physical pain. Pain is a warning. By the way, my car, like your car. I want you to think about the dashboard, right? I am so glad that there are some warning lights that can pop up on my dashboard whenever something is wrong with my car. Now here's the question I want to ask you when a light pops on on your dashboard, do you ignore it? Help me out. Well, you better not, right? I mean, it would be stupid, dumb, dare I say that, to ignore a warning light and to pretend that it's just did that matter? Who cares about that? It'll fix itself. No, it won't. No, it won't.
Speaker 2:I think one of the most important if you really want to be a smart person is to understand that when pain comes into our world, we need to pay attention. It's a warning light that something is wrong and God wants us to understand that he wants to use it. If you have your pen, I'm just here. Three simple thoughts about pain in this next season, and the first one is this Pain, all pain, has a purpose. All pain has a purpose. And so when that pain comes into your world and that none of us wants it, none of us would invite it, but when it comes into your world and this, that warning light goes off, one of the most important things is to recognize that there can be a purpose behind the pain and to pay attention. I like to see it this way Pay attention to the tension, because when pain comes your way, you need to give it your attention. By the way, god doesn't bring pains our way, but God will use the pains for our good.
Speaker 2:The Bible says it this way in Romans, chapter 8, verse 28,. And we know that in all things, god works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purposes. Let me just point out four things in that little scripture. And we know it's this faith-filled understanding that we can be assured, whatever our hurt is, whatever our struggle is, whatever our pain is, and we know that God's going to be at work and we know what, and we know that in all things God works. I like that idea. It's this beautiful picture of a God who is not far away, not unsympathetic to our pains, not looking down on us and going. I hope you figure that out. I hope that works out for you. No, it's this beautiful picture of the incarnate God, right, the God who came in the flesh, who is still at work in our lives. Guys, none of us deserve to have the God who flung the stars and the planets in space at work in the daily pains, the mundane pains of our life. And we know that in all things God works. Thirdly, look at this for the good he is working, for the good of our lives. So, even if you're going through the hardest fight of your life right now, even if you're in one of the most pain-filled moments of your life, you can know that God is working for your good, even through the struggle. By the way, notice those next few words. This isn't for everybody. This is for those who love God, those who have been called according to His purposes. So if you love God, then this is what God's commitment is to you that he will be working for your good in all things. Guys, this is a beautiful picture.
Speaker 2:All pain has a purpose and one of the most important things is that we learn something from the pain, and God never wastes a hurt. We oftentimes do that. We would use the pain, the hurt, the struggle to help other people who might go through those same pains and struggles. All pain has a purpose. Write this one down Pain produces. We read that just a few minutes ago in the Scripture.
Speaker 2:Pain produces bitterness or growth. Pain produces bitterness or growth. By the way, we've met some folks who got bitter from their pain, haven't we? I like to say it this way Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional. It's all in how you look at it. It's all in how you approach recovering from your pain-filled moment. You can get bitter. Lots of people do. Lots of people get bitter from the pain, but I can tell you that's not going to help you, it's not going to help your family, it's not going to help your church, it's not going to help your community. Getting bitter from your pain, no, no, no. We want to get better, not bitter. Better. What does that look like?
Speaker 2:Well, pain can produce a beautiful thing called growth. You know, I've been a pastor not quite, but almost 30 years and I've gotten so many notes from some folks who've been through entire seasons of playing hurt, entire seasons where life was tough. But you know something I've noticed Many of those letters said, pastor, you won't believe how much I grew through this, and they would talk about a job loss. They would talk about a relationship that was broken. They would talk about a financial hardship. You won't believe how much I grew during this time. You know what that makes me think? It makes me think that we can all grow during the spring times and the summers of our life, but some of the deepest growth that you will really ever do in your life is during some of the hardest moments of your life. Some of the deepest, I mean spread the roots down deep right. Some of the deepest growth you will ever do is in the hurtful, painful, hardest moments of your life.
Speaker 2:Look what the Bible says, though. We have to remember this. This is God's intention, for I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope, plans to give you a future. That's the perspective we must maintain, so we don't get bitter, knowing that God has a good plan for us, even in the painful moments.
Speaker 2:I have a friend of mine and he runs marathons. I mean, he is always running, and I'm not talking about just like three or four or six miles. This guy is running long distances all the time. He told me something recently I don't think I'll ever forget it. He said Pastor Steven, whenever I start running, every time, every time I start running and he's been running forever he said I'll take off in the morning time and all of a sudden, a new pain will come my way. It'll come out of nowhere, all of a sudden, my, I'm just taking off, I've got nothing wrong with my hip, my hips fully functional, and my hip will just start Screaming at me pain. And he said I'll hurt in my hip. Or he'll say I'll take off and I'll start running and all of a sudden, my, my left shin, my left shin, will just start screaming at me like stop, and you know what. And then then he said this he said you know what I do? I've learned now he's. I don't stop running. He said I talked to my body. This is why I never forget. He said I talked to my body. And he says I say something like this Well, good morning left, shin, I'm glad that you've decided to join me for my run today. And he can't eat my. It's hurting the whole way. Right, he said I just keep running, I keep running and over time it'll stop hurting me. He says, certainly something else will start hurting me too. Right, you know, guys, I here's why I held on to that. His perspective is that he, when he starts to run, he's going to hurt, but he doesn't let the pain stop him. He will not let it stop him. He is going to keep running because he knows that it produces something.
Speaker 2:You know, guys, one of the things I think you might need to write down or hold on to Is that pain is the high cost of growth. I mean, in a weight room they'll say it this way, but it's more than a cliche. They'll say no pain, no game. And they're in that weight room and they're pushing their muscles, are screaming and they're hurting and their sore, but the idea is no pain, no gain. Now we can chop that up to like a little colloquialism.
Speaker 2:The truth of the matter is, pain is the high cost of growth in our lives and every one of us can track some of our deepest growth Through the moments that were our hardest, maybe most hurtful moments. By the way, we don't like. We don't like that idea. We don't want pain, even though we know it produces growth. We don't want pain, we don't invite pain. You know what we'd rather have. We'd rather have the easy fix. Give me the book, let me go to the seminar. I just want to learn, I want to grow with the things that don't hurt. Right. But that's not life. Life is it? Oftentimes the hurtful moments are the moments that we learn the most.
Speaker 2:In the Bible we have this beautiful story. I'm sure at the moment he didn't consider it beautiful. All when Paul was hurting, paul talked about it. And listen to his description. Paul said I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me Three times. I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me, but he said to me my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast. This is Paul's words. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me. Now listen, church, I'm on Paul's for a moment.
Speaker 2:Don't you know that Paul was discouraged Three different times? He comes back to the Lord. Please take away this pain from me. Three different times, god says nope, nope. I mean, this is one of the things we've got to understand. Sometimes, the very thing that discourages you is the thing that God will use to develop you. God didn't bring the thorn his way, but God wants to use the thorn in his flesh to grow him and to develop him.
Speaker 2:So watch what Paul says. What was this? He learned from it, and I love mark the five words in the next sentence. He said that is why, for Christ's sake, I delight. What does he delight in? Look at five things. I delight in weaknesses and in insults, in hardships, in persecutions and in difficulties, for when I am weak, then I am strong. You know somebody here today, somebody here today is hurting the most. Somebody here today is absolutely playing hurt. They're going through the biggest battle and I think the word of God for us, as we hear Paul's story, is make sure you're looking at it the right way, because perspective makes all the difference. Are you trusting that God is for you and not against you? Are you trusting that God has hopes and plans to prosper you and not to harm you. And can you see that even in your weakness you can be made strong if you will lean into Jesus in the moment of your greatest struggle?
Speaker 2:You know social media is not always good, is it? Recently I was on Facebook and sometimes people just put little blocks up there with little sayings. And I read one and it grabbed me. The little block on the Facebook page somebody had put up said simply this you know that time you got hurt in church, you know that was people that hurt you. Right, it wasn't God. I kind of read that moment just sitting there on my phone and I thought about how so many times that's right, right, let's save one more time. You know that time you got hurt at church, you know that was people who hurt you. Right, it wasn't God, which we are in a new season. But we would be naive and I think we wouldn't learn very much from it if we didn't recognize that we just went through a season of pain. We went through a season of hurt and heartache. It wasn't God, but God wants to use it for our good.
Speaker 2:So all pain has a purpose, right, and pain will produce something. What's it going to produce in your life? Bitterness or growth? It's up to you. How will you operate, see things when hurt comes your way and then write this one down, and this is the glory of the good news for me All pain for the Christian is temporary. All pain is temporary. The beauty of the gospel is simply this that for the person who gives Jesus Christ their life, one day hallelujah, one day there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more crying Guys. I know, sometimes this life seems incredibly long, but this is just the warmup. The show has not started yet. Okay, this is the warmup, and one day the real show will begin, and so one of the things we get to look forward to is one day. One day I am going to have no more pain in my life.
Speaker 2:Paul said it this way, and this was a guy who experienced a lot of pain. Right, looking forward to the future. Paul said it this way I consider that our present sufferings, our present sufferings, are not worth comparing with the glory that will one day be revealed in us In another place. He said it this way and, by the way, I quote these words to myself whenever life is tough, these opening words he says for our light and momentary troubles. Alright, I'm going through a hard time. I try to just tell myself these are light and momentary troubles, they're not gonna last forever, they're just momentary. For these light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.
Speaker 2:You know, as your pastor, I've got to close down this message, but one of the things I just wanted to strongly encourage you towards is that when you go through pain and you are going to go through hurt in every season of life that you would allow that pain, allow that hurt to drive you into the arms of a loving shepherd named Jesus. Listen to Jesus' words. One time, as he was teaching, jesus said it this way in John, chapter 16. I have told you these things so that in me you might have peace, even if we're going through a hard time. Yes, you can have peace In this world. You will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world Whenever I'm going through a hard moment. I put it in your outline there, one of the most powerful 10 word prayers in the entire Bible is found in the book of Philippians. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. A powerful 10 word prayer, especially if you are going through pain in this very season.
Speaker 2:This morning, in just the next few minutes, we're gonna move into a time of our closing hymn and I just wanted to open up the altar this morning. If there's a hurt, if there's a pain, if there's a struggle you want to bring to the Lord, why not physically, literally, move into a place of saying God, here it is, here it is. I offer you this, grow me, grow me, dear God. And even as we get ready to sing and we get ready to open up the altar, I want to just a moment to pray for you. Would you bow your heads and let's pray together? God, you know our pains, every one of us. You know our struggles and you know our hurts. And, lord, we know that your purposefulness is that you would use it for my good. Thank you that you love us and thank you that you care for us. Thank you that you are empathetic and sympathetic to our needs. So, god, the best. We know how.
Speaker 2:This morning, we just pray a very simple prayer. We want to open our hearts and our lives to you. We want to give you the good and the bad, and the ugly and the painful and even the shameful, hurtful places, knowing that, god, you can do with those things what nobody else can. You can take these things and you can put a new spirit in us. God, hear our prayer today, put your spirit in us and take from us the wounds and the hurts and the pains. Lord, we want to connect with you, abide in you, grow in you and God. We ask, oh Jesus, that you would save us. We look forward to that day when this life will be no more and we will step into an unchangeable eternity. Oh God, let us give you our lives. Come and save us from this very pain-filled life. We pray this in your most holy name, jesus, amen.