The Stewardship of Pain

We usually think of stewardship in connection with finances – how much we tithe, save or give away – how we manage our money. But in “The Joy of Fearing God,” author Jerry Bridges encourages us to think about the stewardship of pain. Since God sometimes allows us to go through difficult trials and various stages of pain, how do we handle this? Can we be good stewards of the pain?

A friend of mine has learned this lesson well. Several years ago, this young mom began to detect hearing loss. As her ability to hear grew less and less, she learned to read lips and sign. She has moved through this journey with grace and even joy, although it hasn’t been easy. She has grieved the hearing loss, accepted it and now is using her pain to make a difference.

In her church, she initiated captioned services which have allowed the hearing impaired community to understand what the pastor is saying and how the word of God applies to their lives. Currently, she petitions major networks to include more captioning of videos and news reports. She targets movie theaters that do not include captions, and she enlists a cadre of people to help her fight for the hearing impaired.

This incredible woman wrote a novel which told the truth about hearing loss and how people sometimes deal with the trauma of losing their hearing. Now, she is writing a nonfiction book about the confessions of a lip-reading mom – her story and the journey she has traveled. From denial to acceptance to learning how to confront her fears, she has dealt with this loss in a way that touches others and creates joy in her own soul.

My friend, Shanna Groves, is an example of a person who has managed her pain and become an example of effective stewardship. Her life reminds me of a poem by an unknown author:
“Lord, I am willing
To receive what You give
To lack what You withhold
To relinquish what You take
To suffer what You inflict
To be what You require
And to become a good steward of the pain.”