“REED” This
Pain
Last Wednesday, my mother was in the hospital and was asking to see all of her children. I found a ticket that afternoon and was on a plane early Thursday morning flying to Dallas, Texas. As I arrived at the hospital mid-morning, I was met with bright eyes and a beautiful smile from my mother who then struggled to say my name. But she knew who I was, and she did say my name, as well as answering my “I love you, mom” with an “I love you, too.” It’s never easy to see someone in a hospital bed, especially when they are ill or in pain or struggling in some way. But when that someone is your mother, that difficulty is ramped up a thousand times more. Thankfully, she fell back to sleep before I could no longer hold back my tears. She was already on some morphine to ease her pain. The doctor came in to tell us of the bad condition of her spine with the results of the MRI. That was the cause of her pain and those nerves being pinched were shutting down her organs. We knew there was nothing that could be done to reverse that and her time with us on this earth would soon be coming to an end. Our greatest concern was for mom to be comfortable. It hurt us so much to see her in pain. Unfortunately, we would see her in pain again when she was moved back to her assisted living apartment Friday afternoon. Transferring her from the ambulance gurney to her bed was difficult. I was praying and hoping this pain would pass quickly. Mom finally had relief again when the meds came through from hospice and shortly after receiving them, she felt better. That evening, when I said my final goodbye, there was a calm about her, and she was resting peacefully.
I flew back home Saturday morning. Mom didn’t wake up any all that day and almost all of Easter Sunday. One of her sisters was visiting and talking to her when she opened her eyes for the first time in two days Sunday evening. And it would be the last time as shortly after that, mom went on to heaven. She left all the pain and suffering behind. She was free from her earthly body and all its physical limitations, restrictions, and flaws. She immediately was in the presence of Jesus and seeing Him face to face for the first time. “Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8 NLT)
I don’t like pain. I don’t like seeing other people in pain. I certainly did not like seeing my mother in pain. The experience of being in pain or sensing pain is not pleasant. Because we live in a fallen world, we experience pain. We experience pain in our own bodies. We can observe others experiencing pain. We experience pain when our loved ones die. We miss them and it hurts when we know we will not be able to see them or talk with them on this earth anymore. But God understands this pain. He watched His Son die on a cross that He didn’t deserve because He was paying for the sins of the world. Jesus suffered that separation from His Father when sin was placed upon Him, and He became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus suffered great pain because He loves us. He wants us to have a relationship with the Father so we will never have to suffer the pain of being separated from Him. And just like Jesus did not stay in the tomb but rose from the dead, we too can rise from this earthly death to live forever with Him. Knowing we have this hope, we find joy in knowing our Christian loved ones who have died are with the Lord and we can see them again. That hope along with the love of God is what helps us through pain. Our Heavenly Father is always with us comforting us, encouraging us, and carrying us through those times of pain and suffering. He promises to never leave us or forsake us, and He always keeps His promises. And one day, all of His children will be free from all pain. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:4 NLT)
Bro. Paul Reed
Tuesday, April 19, 2022