Devotionals

The Hurt Worm

by Lenardo Youmans
11/02/22
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Life often comes at us hard and fast. The pills that life gives us are easier to swallow when there are others in this world going through what you are going through. In recent times all of us have had to suffer through common things such as high gas prices, inflation, waves of senseless violence, shortage of supplies, dearth of resources, and pandemics. When most of society faces the same dilemma, then it becomes a more bearable feat when we all are facing the same thing at the exact same time. But what happens when you feel like what you are going through is only specific to you? What goes through your mind when you must carry your own cross and bear it all alone while other people just stand around and watch without offering a helping hand? Why is it that when you are suffering through something, the heads that leaned upon your shoulders in times of distress are nowhere to be found when you need to lay your head on their shoulders? What do you do when you need to vent and there are no ears around to listen to what is on your mind after you were there for them when they needed someone to talk to?  

My dear friend, the answer to these questions can be summed up in one word: Christ. All we must do is look at the life of Christ to find an answer for the distress and trauma that we go through in life. Whether it is sickness, disease, persecution, racism, hatred, lack, poverty, the loss of loved ones, or occupational troubles, we can find solutions to the hurt and pain by observing the life of Jesus. Jesus suffered the same things that we battle against; for the Bible tells us that He was tested in all areas just like we are (Hebrews 4:15).

“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind…”

—1 Peter 4:1

Jesus Christ suffered as a human being to identify with us. We have a savior who knows what we go through as humans because He became a human being and walked this earth. He was tested with all the hurts and pains that we often come face to face with.  However, Jesus did not allow the things He faced on earth to overcome Him, but He saw these things as just something for Him to overcome. He had to endure mockery, abandonment, mistreatment at the hands of relatives, not being appreciated by those around Him, grief, loneliness, and physical abuse among other things.

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”   

—Isaiah 53:3-4

PURPOSE IN THE PAIN

More seldom than not, the ups and downs of life force us to experience certain discomfort, pains, and trials. The reason for the trials may not be evident at the time you are dealing with it, but there is a purpose for everything under the sun as the author says in Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

At one time or another, we all have been adversely affected by someone or something. Oftentimes, our natural human instinct is to become bitter when going through tests in life; but Jesus did not allow bitterness to infect Him. Instead of becoming bitter, He became better! Beloved, I implore you to follow Jesus’ example and endure hardness as a good soldier (2 Timothy 2:3). Harboring bitterness is like swallowing poison. It will only serve to damage you. When tough situations come your way, the best thing you can do is learn from the ordeals and use the lessons for your benefit as you move forward. I trust that you are familiar with the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”  However, if I could revise that statement, I would say it like this: “When life gives you lemons, do not just make lemonade. Set up a lemonade stand and profit from it!” In other words, what I am trying to say is that we can take negatives and convert them into positives. The benefits of a negative situation may not be readily apparent at first; but if you altered your perspective and looked at things from a different viewpoint, I am sure you could discern some sort of lesson from your situation. There is a lesson to be learned in every test that we face on this earth. My mother would always say, “Experience is your best teacher.”  What I have come to realize is that experience is a wonderful teacher, but it is also a cruel one. Why is that? You may be asking yourself. Well, experience is a hard teacher because it gives you the test before teaching you the lesson that the test is about. I am sure you remember that one teacher in school that had a notorious reputation for giving difficult exams. But no matter how hard that teacher’s exams were, he or she would touch on the material that would be on the test. It was up to us to do our homework and pay attention in class to apprehend what we would be tested on.

Unfortunately, life’s tests do not operate like that. They randomly come out of nowhere, catch you off guard, and pummel you with unexpected uppercuts that leave you reeling.  They do not give you a chance to prepare for them. Nevertheless, the experiences that we garner as we go through certain things are great learning tools that we can use to make us better. Not only do they make us better, but they also empower us to be able to manage more demanding situations that could arise in our lives. Learning how to master minor trials makes the major dilemmas easier to cope with. It does not matter how hard you get hit. What matters is how hard you can take a hit, learn from it, and use it to your advantage as you move forward.

PLOWING SEASON

When I was growing up, this time of year was harvesting season for my father and me. We would always harvest the crops that we had planted in the spring. Before we could plant the seeds, we had to till the soil with a plow and prepare the soil for the seeds. There is an old saying that goes, “The hurt worm always forgives the plow.” When farmers are preparing the fields that they plant in, they must first till the soil and dig up any roots or weeds that may pose a threat to the seeds they will be planting. Fertilizer is then deposited in the soil after the plowing or tilling takes place. The fertilizer produces an environment conducive to growing crops. During the tilling process, the worms which live in the soil may get hit by the plow and become injured. If the worms are injured by the plow during the tilling process, this is trivial because the temporary pain caused by the plowing has produced a fertile environment for the worms to thrive in. The worm’s life is improved because of the temporary inconvenience of the tilling. Without the pain of the tilling process, the worm would not have a better chance at survival without the nutrients that were deposited in the soil.

After fertilization, then come the roots of new plants that further benefit the worm’s environment. Though the tilling process may have interrupted the worm’s habitat and caused some inconvenience, the worm is able to relish in the newly improved environment afforded to it by nature. Before all the plowing and planting took place, the worm was probably in constant pursuit of something to make its life better; but now that its habitat is enriched, the worm can just enjoy a closer relationship with nature.     

“Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word…It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.”                 

—Psalm 119:67,71

In life, trials and tests will surely come as the seasons change. The key is that we learn from the pain, hurt, and perplexing situations. To prepare us for new harvests, God must till things out of us and prepare our hearts for new seeds to grow. The pain of the tilling process is preparation for our destiny. I know that it is tempting to forget about God’s way of doing things and just take matters into your own hands when troubles arise; but I encourage you to let the unfavorable things that you encounter draw you closer to God and His Word. In the above scripture, the psalmist indicates that before he experienced affliction he strayed away from God; but he allowed the trying times to lead him into a greater appreciation for God’s Word, which fosters a deeper relationship with the Lord. Beloved, God has remarkable things for you, and He must take the necessary precautions for you to effectively walk into your season of harvest. Though you may encounter many defeats, it does not mean that you are defeated. Use hardship to your advantage rather than letting it take advantage of you. Learn to thrive in the face of adversity because it only serves to reveal what you are truly made of. You are a child of God and come from good stock. If He could be victorious in the face of adversity, then you can too.