Nurturing Pain

Hebrews 12:1, …let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

I’m a new mother, and one of the most beautiful moments I will forever cherish is when I pick up my daughter is crying when she is crying. As I hold her close, she melts into me because she feels safe in my embrace.

God has created women to be nurturers; this is why when a child gets hurt, they run to their mommy, not daddy. They know their mom will hold them close and kiss their owie; their dad may say, “you’re fine, get over it.” Whether you are a mother or not, you most likely have an innate ability to encourage someone who is hurting or nurture a child who scraped their knee from a nasty fall.

Nurturing a person, or someone’s talent or a goal is a beautiful thing, however, as women, we have also learned how to nurture pain. You may be carrying something that didn’t seem too burdensome at first, but now it is insufferable to manage by yourself.

Imagine holding a cup of coffee, if you hold it for a minute, it’s not a big deal. However, if you hold that same cup of coffee for an hour without setting it down, your arm will begin to throb. If you hold it for a day, the pain would be intolerable. The weight of the cup of coffee didn’t change, but the longer you hold it, the heavier it becomes. The worry you carry, the pain you nurture, and the anxiety that tries to rule your life is too heavy to carry alone. At first, that rude remark didn’t seem too heavy to carry, or that sin didn’t seem too great to bear alone, or the pain of your past appears to be affecting your present or your future, but it has become too heavy.

Are you nurturing pain today? Is there something that you are holding unto that you need to let go of? The heaviness of yesterday may be too much to bear; it is time to lay aside every weight and hand it over to a God who desires to carry your burden (Matthew 11:30). Your past is subordinate to your future—tomorrow is much brighter than yesterday.

Every woman who is gifted and powerfully anointed has been through many deep valleys. You cannot receive the power of God without first being put in the winepress. Lean into God’s presence, He will nurture your giftings and take the pain you have endured and put it on His potter’s wheel and create a masterpiece for His glory. Read Hebrews 11 and study the backstory of those who are full of faith, I promise each one of them had been through a dark trial, but their trust in God not only allowed them to endure but thrive.

I’m praying you will flourish today. I’m praying that you will nurture your walk with God; He has a plan for you.