Suffering

It's three a.m.,

tired and worn.
Just spent six hours
in the local emergency room.

Homesick,
heart hurting,
begging Jesus that I hear
from my sweet daughter
who hasn't spoken to me in years.
Here come the tears.

Without God's grace

I couldn't,

wouldn't even want to make it through.

I don't handle pain very well,

 silent sobs drenching my pillow.

I was raised to believe that crying was unforgivable.

The only thing that sees me through these episodes
of only thinking of myself

is knowing that my suffering

will lead

eventually

to hope and peace.

And the pain will build my character

for what is to come,

for what God has already planned.

We need to go through

what God wants us to

in order to become

a true child of God,

someone

who can reach out a sympathetic helping hand,

compassionately understand,

tell a stranger that everything's going to be all right.

And with the light of Jesus in their life,

they will make it through the night,
the painful endless fight.

You're not alone in your pain.

I'm here, and others are going through the same.

It's never easy.

God never said it would be.

But He did say he would cover us

in His love.

And, to me,

suffering 

just brings me that much closer

to my King.

Romans 5:1-5  Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.  And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.