We rejoice in the “Good News” of Jesus Christ, that we are freed from sin. But, in all honesty, we would like more. We would like to be free of all pain, whatever upsets our lives. We would like to be free of sin and all the effects of sin. We would like to be returned to the status of the Garden of Eden. Happy dreaming!
Some of the tele-evangelists of the past have proclaimed this message. They believed Jesus saved us from sin, from sickness, from poverty. They proclaimed that a true believer would not get sick. All this in the face of 100% mortality of all believers. Their advice: Do not ask God for a Cadillac; tell him what color you want! Christ died to make us all rich. Happy dreaming!
Christ promises his followers nothing but His cross.
Feelings are a part of life. Painful feelings are a part of life. They are not sinful; they are not virtuous. They are just real. They are good or bad, depending on what we do with them.
I think painful emotions can be a gift from God. They indicate that God sees a problem in us that needs to be faced. Bad feelings like fear, resentment, anger, are like a high temperature. They let us know that something is wrong inside.
Painful emotion is they way that God gets our attention. In the face of emotional pain, we cannot just moan and groan. We must look inside. God is trying to tell us something.
Painful emotions are not a punishment. If we use them right, they can be a gift, - like everything in life.