Daily Devotional – 3/14/16 “Side effects”

For the last few weeks, I’ve been dealing with the reoccurrence of carpal tunnel pain. Now, anyone that know me knows I do not take pain medication unless I absolutely have too (I’m good with a few ibuprofens) because I’m usually allergic to it all and it makes me itch something horrible. However, a few days I’ve had to take a pain pill along with a few Benadryl until my doctor appointment this week and this got me to thinking. See, when the pain became bad enough I had to break down and take a pain pill, even though I knew it would make me itch. Why? Well because sometimes we have to endure the side effects simply to get relief. What do I mean? I have to endure the side effects of the pain medication just to get enough relief to go to sleep. We have to endure the attacks of the enemy in order to know we are God’s anointed. We have to push through some pain just to birth our destiny. We have to sacrifice in order to succeed. We have to stumble, sometimes, just to stay sane. We have to put up with the naysayers on the way to getting our blessings. We have to go through surgery, radiation or chemo to get our healing. We have to go through death in order to live again. What’s my point? We all have to deal with some unwelcomed side effects, on this side.

Yea, we deal with the side effects of tears, hurt, confusion and grief after losing a loved one. We deal with the side effects of worry after the diagnosis. We deal with the side effects of pain after being hurt. We deal with the side effects of loneliness after folk walk off. We deal with the enemy in the church right after preaching but oh, somebody shout oh, oh but then after the side effects … we get relief from migraine headaches after the medicine, a diagnosis of cancer remission after the treatment, a new purpose after the pain, a renewed salvation after the sacrifice, a joyful life after all the junk, a blessing after back sliding, a help mate after the hell we’ve been through, peace after all the late night pacing, a testimony after the tears, restoration after the repossession, faithfulness after the foreclosure, a greater anointing after the assault on our life, favor after we’ve fallen a few times, a new beginning after the battle, worthiness after the wandering and mercy after the mess! Yes, we may have some negative side effects but sometimes they are worth the positive effects we’ll feel afterwards! Don’t cast out what you sometimes have to swallow in order to be saved. It may just be the deliverance and breakthrough you’ve been waiting for.