Pain to Passion

These words were taken from Isaiah 61:1-3:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,because the Lord has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to...
1. bind up the brokenhearted,
2. to proclaim freedom for the captives 3. release from darkness for the prisoners,
4. to comfort all who mourn,
5. and provide for those who grieve
6. to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
7. the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and
8. a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV84)

What a beautiful display of God's healing power!! He not only wants to heal physically & spiritually, but also emotionally. The human race is so broken in this world with abuse, abandonment, betrayal, disappointment, judgement, criticism, and the list goes on. Jesus wants to heal ALL your wounds and restore your joy!! That's good news!!

My pastor once said, "Turn your pain into passion" and do something great for God's kingdom!! That has stuck with me ever since because I was currently traveling down a painful road.

Here are few real life examples of people turning pain into passion:

1) A 24 year old, adopted at 10 from an an abusive @ neglectful home, spends her days loving on children & giving them what she didn't have.

2) A wife & mother of 2 boys uses her pain from a teenage abortion to save babies' lives everyday at a women's pregnancy center.

3) A mother of 4 serves with single moms, in a faith-based support group, who want to better their lives after her sister cut ties, moved out & back into her old lifestyle.

There are many examples, even in Hollywood, of people using their pain to help others. Could you be added to this list? God wants to do just that!!

So take off your garment of despair, mourning, and darkness, and put on gladness, beauty, praise, and God's light!!