“Be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” -2 Timothy 2:1
Lets face it, we like to play it safe. When needles keep poking you, eventually you will try to move or put up a shield to guard from it, right? It is a defense mechanism. When life hurts, we put up walls to guard ourselves from the pain because we are scared to chance it, and we have become so accustomed to the routine of the pricking needle in the same spot that we strive to keep our guards up to refrain from feeling the pain. We live a lifestyle of defense out of the fear of defeat. The more we fear, the more we shield, but the more we shield, the more we fear. We adapt to the illusion that pain hurts, when in reality that needle prick is not trying to hurt you; it is trying to sculpt you. The problem is our perception.
Pain hurts, but pain also strengthens. 2 Timothy 2:1 says be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, because God’s grace is not this billowy essence. No! Rather, God’s grace is steadfast love- it can not be changed, moved, broken, bent, shaken, or molded. It is concrete and strong. This is why we are strengthened by it, for in order for us to be stronger, we must be able to take the heat and endure the punching prick of the needle. Thus, God’s love is not comfortable- it is painful, for it strengthens us. Just as body builders do not cozy up on the couch to build muscle mass, neither does God’s grace allow us to be comfortable either. Why? Because nothing happens unless we are uncomfortable. God’s love is painful to our nature. It impacts us! And since it is so sturdy and concrete, it stings when we encounter it. God’s grace can not be broken, but we can be- and that is why it strengthens us, for it sculpts us, moves us, and transforms us. We are only truly strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus because it is so solid and so good that it literally hurts, for that which is painful only makes us stronger.
God loves us enough to allow our hearts to be pricked with His grace. But the more we shield ourselves from the sculpting of His love, the weaker we become. We must let our guards down and seek after the pricking. Pain is weakness leaving the body, but if there is no pain, then weakness remains. Pain will occur when we seek God with all our heart, but in Christ we can rest assured that it is not pain designed to hurt and hinder us, it is pain designed to love us and make us stronger. May we quit living in a defense mechanism and embrace the pain that is the grace designed to make us stronger by the One who truly loves us, who is Christ Jesus.
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