Season 1 Episode 20 -- In this episode, we will explore the choice we all face in the midst of a personally painful situation: to either TRANSFORM our pain, or TRANSFER it to others. We will also look at several ordinary people in the Bible who made the choice to be transformed by God, and how these people became a blessing to the people around them as a result of that choice.
"Reflect on This" is the podcast version of short email devotionals I send to my family and friends, where I am sharing the things I am learning about the ways and nature of God, through applying my study of the Scriptures to the world around me.
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Music credit:
Be Thou My Vision Interlude, by Sarah Bereza
Sarah.Bereza@gmail.com
Richard Rohr, an American Franciscan priest and author, once said, "If we don't process and transform our pain, we'll continue to pass it on to others. This creates a cycle of suffering." Stated differently, if we don’t transform pain, we simply transfer it. We pass it on, like a baton in a never-ending relay race of suffering. And the recipients of this baton of suffering will in turn pass it along to others, unless the cycle is broken.
Of course, Jesus is the perfect example of transforming pain (the pain of the crucifixion, and the pain of bearing the sin of the world), so that mankind’s cycle of suffering separation from God was broken, and by faith we can experience what is described in 2 Corinthians 5:21:
[God] made [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Yet, the Bible also has many examples of ordinary people like us who were faced with trials and suffering, and who chose to allow their pain to be transformed by God, rather than to be transferred to others. These people were in fact blessings to others, rather than a burden.
Examples include the following:
· Moses – He had many external struggles with Pharaoh and his army, as well as internal struggles with doubting whether God could use a person like him that “was slow of speech and tongue.” He also at times doubted that God would indeed save His people. But he led God’s people to the promised land, by choosing to believe God.
· Ruth – As a widow and outsider in her community, she faced the challenges of potential poverty and social discrimination. But she chose to be faithful to God and to her mother-in-law Naomi, and to follow Naomi back to her homeland. More importantly, she chose to do so with a gracious and humble attitude, rather than a bitter attitude. The result? She is a direct ancestor of Jesus, as listed in the first chapter of Matthew.
· Peter – When walking on the water toward Jesus, he lost faith and began to sink. When asked if he was a follower of Jesus, he denied knowing Jesus three times. Yet, after Jesus’ resurrection, Peter persevered to overcome his personal struggles, and he chose to wholeheartedly believe in and follow Jesus. The result? He became the leader of the 12 apostles, spread the Gospel in the face of heavy persecution, and even considered this persecution a blessing.
But the example I want to highlight today is Joseph. A proud and boastful young man, his brothers responded by selling him as a slave. He was then carried away to Egypt, where he worked as a slave, was falsely accused of assaulting a woman, and was thrown into prison. During this process, he had every opportunity to choose bitterness for his terrible circumstances – bitterness toward people, and bitterness toward God. Yet, instead, he chose to allow God to transform his heart (from proud and boastful, to humble, others-focused, and forgiving). Joseph’s transformed heart is reflected in these memorable words to his brothers from Genesis 50:
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to keep many people alive.”
In short, Joseph chose to transform the pain of experiencing his brother’s jealousy and hatred, instead of transferring that pain to them and others. Because of this choice, he was in a position later to truly love and forgive his brothers, to be free from bitterness (a blessing to him), and to be the source to his family of life-saving provision and protection (a blessing to them).
So, how do we break free from this cycle of suffering, so we won’t continue passing it on to others? The answer lies in facing our pain head-on and finding healthy ways to work through it. Transformation begins with acknowledgment – acknowledging the pain we carry and the impact it has on our lives and the people around us. There are some biblical, practical steps we can then take to begin transforming our pain, rather than transferring it to others. We will dive into these steps in future episodes, and provide more details.
Remember: if we don’t transform pain, we simply transfer it, and create a cycle of suffering.
Today, I encourage you to “Reflect on This.”