The Strength of Love: Embracing Pain with Courage
Love is a mark of strength. It takes a strong person to love boldly at all times.
A strong person isn’t someone who lacks emotion, is stoic in the face of challenges, or never feels pain. Strength involves pain in the same way that courage requires fear. Just as a courageous person isn’t considered so unless they were once afraid, having the opportunity to show bravery, a strong person cannot be called strong without first being faced with pain.
However, simply experiencing pain does not make someone strong, either. Our attitude in the face of pain determines this. It’s how we respond and what we do with our pain that makes how strong we really are apparent.
In our weakness, we are tempted to be bitter, hostile to others, hold a grudge, be too easily offended, and let our insecurities get the best of us. A weak person will try to make others feel just as weak as them by retaliating hurt for hurt. But, in our strength, we can fully accept our pain and not let that affect how we treat others. True strength is the ability to love boldly despite feeling hurt. It’s repaying good for evil. It’s treating others better than how they treated you.
Out of His mercy, the Lord gives us strength. In fact, He is our strength. He rights every wrong and works everything out for the good of those who love Him. By knowing this alone, we are empowered to let things of this world go and simply focus on being more like Him.
The example of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for us is the epitome of what true strength is. Ironically, the strength Jesus displayed on the cross didn’t look like strength from the outside; it had the appearance of weakness. He hung on a cross, was humiliated in front of everyone, and suffered until His death. But His purpose on the cross was love. It was His love for us that drove Him to the cross. His strength was displayed by how He willingly endured that amount of suffering out of His love for us.
In your pain or fear, rejoice in the Lord, thank Him always, and remember His love for you. Then, you will be made strong. Remembrance of His love alone will be greater than the sum of all your weaknesses. Knowing how much you are loved by Him will make you unshakeable. Nothing will be able to touch you because nothing matters more than His love.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Ephesians 6:10-12
