Have you noticed when you stub a toe, bite your tongue, or hit your thumb instead of the nail, pain dominates your thoughts? We seldom appreciate how useful our thumbs are until they hurt. Then all our focus is on the throbbing, and we forget the rest of our body that keeps functioning: blood flows, lungs breathe, eyes see, etc.
It is easy to center our attention on what isn’t and lose sight of what is. This is especially true with emotional pain, grief, and loss. Of course, we need time to grieve, because loss and pain are real. But it is tempting to get stuck in the mud of hurt, letting it cement our heart and spirit. At some point, we must let go and step out of our pain in order to keep our life flowing in a healthy direction. In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul reminds us to press on toward our goal, focusing forward. God calls us to notice what we have, to remember we belong to Him, and take hold of the promise of eternity with Jesus.
After my husband died, I almost missed the 90% of my life that was wonderful. It was easy to focus on my loss, my wish for all my children to live closer, and what I seemed to lack. Yet I live in a beautiful place, one son and daughter-in-law live with me, I have precious friends, a supportive church, and a meaningful ministry. I am abundantly blessed.
There will always be longings; it is human nature. Adam and Eve lived in the unhindered presence of God with no sense of loneliness or lack until they were presented with the one thing that wasn’t meant for them: the knowledge of good and evil. They gave up what they had, the privilege of walking and talking with God without barriers, because they lost sight of all that God had provided.
Challenging times are part of the human experience. We work feverishly to avoid them by trying to maintain control, which is impossible and exhausting. We forget that God never promised us an easy life, but He did promise us a full and purposeful life. Truthfully, a life of purpose and beauty often requires the pressure of purging out the old to make way for the new. This seems counterintuitive, but we observe it in nature all the time. Pressure upon coal produces the diamond. It is fire that removes the impurities of silver and gold. Most importantly, the death of Jesus on the cross paved the way for our salvation and our new life through resurrection.
While we are tempted to feel the presence of God is missing when we encounter difficulties, He promised to never leave us or forsake us. He knows that the trials will strengthen us as we trust Him. God never wastes our trials; only we can do that when we try to go it alone. Pain can and will position us for purpose in new areas if we invite God into the fire with us.
Now, a bright yellow Post-it sticks to my bathroom mirror that simply says “90%.” It reminds me daily to focus on what I have, not what I lack. I am learning to thank God for the 90% of my life that is good, instead of dwelling on the 10% that feels less.
If your current circumstance feels like only 10% is good, focus on that. Thank God for the 10%, and ask Him to help you build on that small foundation—one offering of praise and sacrifice of thanksgiving at a time.
If you are in a time of trial and disappointment, invite God today to walk with you, guide you, and give you assurance that you are not alone. Before long, that 10% will grow into 90%. Only in eternity will we experience 100% satisfaction.
Blessings,
Personal Parable Practices
- What loss or grief do I need to acknowledge?
- How can I focus on God’s presence in the midst of my pain or loss?
- What can I give God thanks for today?
Pray with Me
Today, Lord, I confess I have focused too often on what I lack, forgetting all that you have provided. I know you understand this, and I give thanks for your forgiveness and continuous presence in my life. Remind me to look to you, forgetting what lies behind and pressing forward to the prize of eternity with you. Amen.
Scripture for Meditation
Philippians 3:13-14 ESV – Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 43:2 NASB – When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.
1 Peter 5:10 ESV – And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Music for Reflection
A wonderful reminder, Dyann. We have an adult child going through a devastating experience right now, and I have been focusing on that 90% of the time. Yet we have so much else for which to be thankful. I am struck by how often in Scripture God – speaking through the prophets and others – asked what people had to work with, not what they lacked. Little is much when God is in it.