Pain With a Purpose
I do hope that these two weeks looking at Kim Phuc's story and her words in her book Fire Road have been helpful to you! This is a special book, and I'm sure you'll find it in a Christian book shop near you or online. Read it and be blessed.
God's Daily Remedies
But first, a final thought. Kim lived in endless pain, day by day and year by year after the bombs fell. But I love how she writes this on page 274: "This is how it has been for me: daily pain with daily remedies from God. On one day I would hear Him say 'My child, try smiling. Let your face tell your body how to feel.' On another day, 'Kim, go walking. Motion always changes emotion, and movement will move out your pain.' On another day, 'Beloved, simply call a friend. Talk about something else for a half-hour.' On still another day, 'Kim, just come sit with me. Let me bear your pain for a time.'" And Kim would pray back to God, and ask for Him to remind her of the good things in her life and the blessings which outweighed the pain.
Finding Purpose in Pain
Kim even said this profound statement in a talk to university students: "Believe me, I really want relief from my pain. But do you know what I want even more than that? I want to remain close to Christ." Ah, that's beautiful isn't it? The desire for Christ outweighing her desire for relief from pain. I pray that you and I may have the same attitude as Kim in this regard.
But perhaps most profound for me was what Kim was told by a doctor who, at the time Kim wrote the book, was busy providing a series of treatments for Kim to help her. The procedures involved actually burning the skin again, with tiny, microscopic holes, to stimulate blood flow back into the wounded areas. This is painful, but the doctor said to her "it is necessary, Kim. Pain with a purpose, you might say."
I suppose this is Kim's whole story. Pain with a purpose! How mightily God has used her all around the world. And it was pain, and hardship, that enabled it all.
Please remember, my friends, that when God allows pain in your life, it has a purpose. You may only know what purpose it served when you meet Him face to face. But know that with God even pain can be redeemed and used for His great purpose.
Take your pain to God, and enjoy His daily remedies. Desire Christ's closeness more than relief, even. And hold onto the phrase "pain with a purpose." How it helped Kim in her life. How it will help you too.
