I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:8,10

 

The silver lining to my painful experiences was not the gaining of wisdom alone. Better than wisdom was the deeper relationship I developed with Christ.

I identify with the apostle Paul in the scripture above when he talks about accepting his losses. Through my losses I gained a better understanding of who Christ is. And knowing Christ Jesus is of far greater importance than any losses I experienced.

I suffered the loss of my reputation. Everything I was and everything I had accomplished was forgotten. I was ostracized by those who had been friends. But that pain drew me closer to Jesus than ever before. And I changed. Even now, that changing continues. With God we never stop growing. With him, we’re forever his child, always with more to learn and more to share with others.

I went to Jesus with my pain, knowing he would understand in ways no one else could. He too had suffered. And, as I read and wrote about his pain—not only on the cross—but during his ministry as well, I came to know him better.

When I have a hard time, I look to Jesus for understanding. And when I look at all he suffered, I begin to understand his pain as well. We draw together and suffer in fellowship. I’ve become like a sister in his family. His little sister.

And so can we all be when we give ourselves to him and learn to know him as he knows us.

Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. (Hebrews 2:11)

It’s time to leave this pain behind. Today’s life as a follower of Christ is far more important to focus on. Why waste a promising future with memories of the past?

This has been part 14 of my series My Journey from Patient to Leader. Read Part 15, the wrap up:  Brothers and Sisters All