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Christina Cook Lee

Media Producer - Author - Blogger - Songwriter

Pain

Pain and perseverance

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Topic: Pain

Focus: Pain and perseverance

Romans 5:3-5 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

“No pain—no gain” is something we’ve all heard so many times we don’t think much about the meaning of it anymore. If we do give it a second thought—it is undoubtedly in connection with the kind of pain that comes from trying to get/stay in shape. Anybody who works out knows there is a price attached to having a ‘dream body’. Most people just aren’t willing to pay the price to look like that.

You may not have a weight problem, but stay with me and let’s take a look at some of the benefits of “pain”. Ali Vincent, is just one of a string of success stories from the TV show, “The Biggest Loser”. As a contestant on “The Biggest Loser”, Ali lost 112 pounds in five months. That’s a pretty impressive accomplishment. How did she do it? She stuck to a 1,200 calorie daily diet and worked out for five to eight hours a day. Ali had a problem and she found the passion to solve it.

Before Ali started to work toward her goal, she was suffering from the fact her life had gotten out of control. She had lost the will to persevere, her self-esteem was low and she didn’t have a lot of hope. The first thing Ali had to do before she could make any progress was face the fact that solving her problem was going to require some suffering of another kind. That ‘no pain—no gain’ kind of suffering.

As Ali worked with a coach who monitored her progress—she pushed herself diligently toward self-improvement. Through the five months it took to achieve her goal, Ali not only became acquainted with pain—but in the pain, she learned perseverance. She made the discovery that she had to keep moving even when it hurt. Ali came to the realization that if she stopped when she started to hurt—she would never get where she wanted to go. As Ali persevered—her character became stronger. Her determination increased. As her strength of character and determination improved—her ability to ‘hope’ escalated.

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In life—we are going to face all kinds of challenges. Not all of them will be physical. Some emotional challenges can be just as exhausting and painful to overcome as someone who battles obesity. Overcoming an addiction requires extreme willpower and discipline—not to mention the lifelong job of working to stay clean once the dependency has been broken.

But in all cases—the process is the same. Any kind of gain—requires pain. If you want to be an overcomer—you have to be willing to first ‘suffer’.

Knowing that suffering is a part of recovery helps. But, come to think of it–you were suffering during the time that you weren’t working toward recovery, too. The fact is—you are going to suffer one way or the other. You might as well put your suffering and pain toward gain, right?

The thing Ali had to be convinced of was that her life was worth the effort she was going to have to invest in herself to get rid of all that extra baggage she had accumulated. She had to reach a point of knowing that her obesity was complicating her life—not making it better. She had to make a choice that even though she would be facing a lot of very hard work and pain—the outcome would be worth the sacrifice.

I don’t know what kind of battle you are in. Your battle might not be anything like Ali’s. It might be something completely unrelated. But, whatever you’re up against—I know there is a beautiful person inside of you who is a winner, not a loser. You have just as much potential of finding the passion to solve your problem as Ali had.

God is on your side. The pain is worth the gain. You can do this if you don’t give up. The only thing that might stop you, is you. You have come this far. Don’t back down. Stay in the game and win.

Declaration: I will find new strength by pushing past the pain. I will persevere in this battle. With God’s help—I will win.

God would do anything to rescue me

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Topic: Pain

Focus: God would do anything to rescue me

Isaiah 53:5-6 (NKJV) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

When I was a little girl, I remember hiding in the bottom of my closet when I knew my dad was angry. In the days before my dad gave his heart to the Lord, we all walked a tightrope. Sometimes it didn’t matter to him who was at fault, or if anyone was at fault–he inflicted emotional and physical pain anyway.

After the collapse of my first marriage I wanted to hide again. I moved from the mid-west to New York State. When my second marriage failed, I went to hide in California. “All we like sheep have gone astray.” I can really relate to that. I went astray alright–and where I went, I took a boatload of guilt with me…and many unsolved mysteries as to “why.”

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All my life, I could see no value in the rejection and bruises I had endured…until today, when God lifted the veil that had clouded my ability to understand. All of my wondering about “why” God would allow all of that to happen–was settled.

Even though I was saved at a young age, it took me until now to learn that when I was being abused–so was Jesus. He wasn’t standing back watching me suffer–He was suffering with me and for me.

I have committed not to speak in lengthy detail of the struggles I experienced in my unsuccessful marriages. I will only say that in my second marriage, I ran for safety at times. When I tried to hide at home—almost every door in the house was kicked open. There were impossible rules that constantly changed. I could never do everything right and there were strong consequences when I failed. To say that I had “fear issues” would be an understatement.

Yet, the physical and emotional wounds of my lifetime don’t begin to compare with the description of what Jesus Christ bore on my behalf. He was beaten, stripped, and put to death by crucifixion–not so I would feel guilty–but, so that I would know how much He loved me and to what extent He was willing to go to rescue my soul from sin and death.

Not only my guilt, but the memories of my failures, and pain were nailed to His cross. Remembering the past will never change it…but, knowing that “the chastisement of my peace” was one of the things He purchased–can change my future.

Everything Jesus went through was for my peace and yours. To say that we still have to carry that awful load–is like saying He didn’t suffer enough. He DID.

Declaration: I accept the suffering Jesus endured on my behalf as proof of His love for me. I believe the sacrifice of His life was enough to cover all of my failure and guilt. I receive the peace  He purchased and will not wonder “why”, anymore.

IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO NEW STRENGTH DEVOTIONAL BELOW, A NEW SEGMENT WILL COME TO YOUR EMAIL EACH DAY.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, https://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/playlists?sort=dd&view=1

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

Knowing Christ

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Topic: Pain

Focus: Knowing Christ

Psalm 73:26 (NKJV) My flesh and my heart fail;
 But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

No matter how much pain you suffer in this life, you can always call out to Jesus and He will be there for you. He has promised never to leave you or forsake you. When you’re in a considerable amount of pain, you feel abandoned. You wonder why relief won’t come.

The Bible tells us over and over to rejoice in suffering. We think we can’t, but we can. The Lord wouldn’t have encouraged us to do it, if it weren’t possible. The reason we’re told to rejoice in suffering is because rejoicing in pain is giving God praise.

Giving God praise in all things includes praising Him through pain. You might wonder what person would praise God in their pain—and yes, it is a hard thing for any of us to do, but it’s what God wants. The reason He wants you to praise Him in your pain, is because He wants to be close to you. We are told in the Word of God that He dwells in praise. It’s His way of being close to those who love Him. The more we praise Him the closer He gets. So, when you are hurting and feel abandoned—that’s the time to praise Him all the more.

(Read more below)

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If you’re having trouble vocalizing your praise, try writing it. Writing can be very therapeutic when you’re going through a lot of pain. Try to think of how much Jesus suffered.

Another way to cope with pain is to think of others. Jesus was thinking of others when He was hanging on the cross. He spoke to the thief who was crucified on a cross right next to His. Jesus took time out of His own suffering to tell that man that He would be with him that same day in paradise.

Jesus was also thinking about His mother. He didn’t want her to be left alone. He asked His beloved disciple, John, to care for His mother.

He thought of you and me when He said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

The kind of pain you are feeling may be nothing like the pain Jesus had to bear, but it is still your cross. In Matthew 16:24, Jesus said to His disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.” (NIV)

In that statement, Jesus was indicating an ongoing walk with pain.

The apostle Paul lived with pain and wrote in Philippians 3:10 (NKJV), “…That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…”

2 Timothy 2:12 (KJV) says, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us.

We are called to pain. Some people would disagree with that, but anyone who studies the Bible and truly examines what it says, knows that pain and suffering are part of the purification of our faith. If we are going to become conformed to the image of Christ, then we need to ponder these things.

There are many kinds of pain and I don’t have to name them in order for you to know what they are. You have probably experienced many of them and may be in a serious season of pain right now. How interesting that you would be guided to read these words at this specific time.

The final analysis of the purpose of pain is that we may know Christ. Those who aren’t willing to suffer will never know Christ very well.

Declaration: I will find new strength by being willing to suffer pain. As I rejoice in my pain, I will know Christ.

IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO NEW STRENGTH DEVOTIONAL BELOW, A NEW SEGMENT WILL COME TO YOUR EMAIL EACH DAY.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, https://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/playlists?sort=dd&view=1

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

Being obedient in pain

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Topic: Pain

Focus: Being obedient in pain

Psalm 27:6 (NKJV) And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the pain you live with would just stop? I don’t know if there is such a thing as the absence of pain in this life. If you don’t live with physical pain of your own—having to observe the pain of others is enough to give you a heartache. There is only one answer to pain, and it’s Jesus.

Jesus was moved with compassion at the sight of people who were sick, blind, and lost. The conditions Jesus observed during the days He walked this earth are still present in the world today—and in the same way, the truth He spoke then is still true today.

Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NKJV) He said we could not only have peace in spite of trouble and tribulation, but also have the ability to be of good cheer.

Proverbs 17:22 (NLT) says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”

So how do we move from broken spirit to cheerful heart? By putting our trust in Jesus. He told us to be of good cheer because He had overcome the world. Do you trust what Jesus said?

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What Jesus wants for us, is to be cheerful in spite of what is going on around us and in spite of our pain.

There are many people who are wondering what’s going to happen to our country and to our world. I wonder, too—but, I also know what the Word of God says.

Romans 8:31-39 (NASB) offers this comfort: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

A day is coming when all pain will stop. That is a reason to rejoice and be cheerful. If we can’t find anything to be cheerful about in our present circumstances, at least we have the promise of a future that is bright and full of hope. No more suffering, no more pain, no more tribulation. Only peace.

I have to be reminded to ‘lighten up’ sometimes, myself. More than once, I’ve been in a store or somewhere, concentrating on what I was doing and not thinking about ‘what I looked like’. A total stranger had to say to me, “Smile, it’s not that bad” or something to that effect. I was embarrassed to realize that I must have looked miserable for them to say such a thing!

Do you ever stop to think about what you look like? Do the people around you observe you as a person who is filled with peace and cheer? To that question, you might respond, “Well, if they knew what I’m going through—they wouldn’t blame me.”

I don’t doubt that you might be going through a lot—so am I, actually. So is everyone. Jesus told us we would all go through a lot, but that we should still have peace and be cheerful in spite of our circumstances, because He had overcome the world.

Declaration: I will find new strength by doing what I’ve been told to do: “Have peace and be filled with cheer.” I may have to go through the motions at first—but the emotions will follow, if I’m obedient.

IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO NEW STRENGTH DEVOTIONAL BELOW, A NEW SEGMENT WILL COME TO YOUR EMAIL EACH DAY.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, https://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/playlists?sort=dd&view=1

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

Finding purpose in pain

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Topic: Pain

Focus: Finding purpose in pain

Romans 8:37 (NKJV) Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

I experienced a lot of pain during the recovery of a traumatic head injury in a car accident that happened when I was 21. I felt robbed in many ways—due to the facial disfigurement that resulted. Today, not many people would ever guess my nose was totally smashed and my cheekbones were covered with fractures. Reconstructive plastic surgery gave me a new, smaller nose.

In most people’s minds, I had nothing to complain about. Surely, other people have had much harder things to bear—and that’s true. I don’t have a debilitating handicap like some people, but I’ll never forget the stares from people during the period of time it took for the jagged scars on my nose to heal and for the swelling and bruises on my face to go away.

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During the year following the accident, my sinuses progressively shut down, because my fractured cheekbones were over-calcifying in an attempt to heal. More surgery had to be done to open my airways so I could breathe normally again. It took a long time for me to accept my appearance…and it was hard dealing with people who said I didn’t look that bad. To me, it wasn’t a question of ‘looking good or bad’—it was my own loss of identity that I was dealing with.

Close to a year after the accident, I had the opportunity to go to a foreign country and spend a little time with a man who was clearly poverty stricken. He wore a soiled patch of cloth tied around his head to cover the fact that he had no nose at all. I was sure that God had arranged our meeting. It was completely obvious that he had it so much worse than I did.

From that time on, I tried to accept what had happened to me and be grateful in spite of everything. Up until then, all I could see was what I had lost—instead of what I still had left.

I have to admire our many veterans who went off to war and have come home forever changed, whether their injuries are visible or invisible. I can’t help but look at any soldier who has seen active duty and not wonder what trauma he or she is working through. Just because you can’t see any physical change in them, doesn’t mean they aren’t suffering emotionally because of what they may have witnessed.

Just because an injury can’t be seen—or isn’t as bad as it ‘could have been’—doesn’t mean it wasn’t and isn’t catastrophic to the individual. Any injury is serious to the person who receives it. Post-traumatic stress syndrome and panic attacks are common and potentially devastating to people who have experienced a violent physical injury—and also to those who have been forced to live in highly dangerous circumstances and observe others being wounded or killed.

It’s hard to understand why we have to go through some of the things we do in life. It might be harder still, to believe that a loving God would allow anybody to live through some of the things our veterans have. I don’t have all the answers—but I know that God can help any person to find peace.

If you’ve had some kind of traumatic experience—war or otherwise—you might still be trying to figure out how you’ll ever be able to live a normal life again. For many people, things will not return to ‘normal’ in comparison to the past…but life can go on, by drawing new strength from the power of God.

Jesus Christ, Who according to historical record, was tortured to the point of being unrecognizable as a man preceding His brutal crucifixion—is a model to any person who is struggling from the effects of disfigurement and trauma. His resurrection from the dead and His glorified body, can give us the hope that one day—we will be like Him.

Philippians 3:20-21 says, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”

There were times I wished I had died during the aftermath of my head injuries. It took a few years before I felt like living was actually a good idea. I know God had a purpose in letting me go through what I did. He has given me peace, and He can help you, too.

Declaration: I will find peace and purpose as I draw new strength from the power of God. His love and friendship will see me through my trials day by day…and someday I will understand.

IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO NEW STRENGTH DEVOTIONAL BELOW, A NEW SEGMENT WILL COME TO YOUR EMAIL EACH DAY.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, https://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/playlists?sort=dd&view=1

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

Living happily ever after

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Topic: Pain

Focus: Living happily ever after

Hebrews 12:7-8 (NIV) Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.

In each fairy tale of our childhood, there was always a happy ending. The main character in the story had to overcome some kind of trial or conflict, and then lived happily ever after.

The American Dream is the idea that all people can have a happy and successful life if they work hard. Most people consider a successful life to be one that includes wealth…imagining that wealth brings happiness.

The romantic movies and novels of the last century almost always ended with a handsome man and a beautiful woman getting married and living happily ever after. We never got to actually observe the ‘happily ever after’, to know if it actually was happy and ever after, but we assumed it would be.

In reality, everyone goes through hardship. Hardship often comes in the form of sickness and pain. It’s hard for some people to equate hardship, in the form of sickness and pain, with living happily ever after. To some, happily ever after would only be possible if there was a total absence of suffering.

The Bible seems to indicate otherwise. Almost every story in the Bible involves a trial or conflict of some kind that was redeemed or resolved by the power of God. If you look at the whole thing, you can see how all suffering is an opportunity for God to come to the rescue. If there was no such thing as hardship, sickness, pain, and suffering—why would there be a need for God?

(read more below)

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New Strength Inspirational Statement of the Day

In the 1600s, there was an 18 year-old young man who lived in the area that is now eastern France. As he observed a leafless tree in the dead of winter, his life was transformed. In a moment, he became aware of the extravagant grace of God and His unfailing sovereignty of

divine providence, as he contemplated the condition of the tree. He was able to have hope that God had a fruitful plan for his life, just like the now dormant tree would bloom in spring. He was flooded with a love for God that never stopped. Six years later, this man entered a monastery as a lay brother. He didn’t have the education to become a cleric, but became known as, Brother Lawrence.

In his lifetime, Brother Lawrence lived in very humble circumstances. He served in the monastery kitchen where he cooked and cleaned and was in constant service to his many superiors. He saw all of his acts of service as spiritual. Brother Lawrence felt that anything could be considered a sacred act, if the motivation behind it was right. He said, “It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God.”

He approached his daily tasks with the attitude that everything he did was an act of love for God alone. He cooked meals, ran errands, scrubbed pots, and endured scorn with God at his side. His writings were compiled to create a book called, ‘Practicing the Presence of God.’

One of the most famous quotes from the book is this: “The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.”

The statement that follows was taken from a letter he wrote to someone who was suffering from sickness and pain:

“I do not pray that you will be delivered from your pains, but I do pray sincerely that God will give you strength and patience to bear them as long as he pleases. The world, of course, cannot understand this. They see no good at all in sickness and pain. But those who understand that sickness can be used by God to advance His purposes can find in it great sweetness and true consolation. In fact, we can go so far as to say that God is sometimes nearer to us in sickness than in health. He can use diseases of the body to bring healing to the soul.”

As we live through pain that comes in various forms, we can be miserable, or we can embrace another opportunity to draw closer to God by being conformed to the image of Christ through suffering.

Declaration: I will find new strength by cultivating a better ‘God consciousness.’ I will view my pain and ordinary tasks as service to my King. In the presence of God, I will live happily ever after.

Information about Brother Lawrence drawn from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO NEW STRENGTH DEVOTIONAL BELOW, A NEW SEGMENT WILL COME TO YOUR EMAIL EACH DAY.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, https://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/playlists?sort=dd&view=1

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.