{"id":9713,"date":"2013-02-24T00:47:31","date_gmt":"2013-02-24T05:47:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=9713"},"modified":"2013-02-22T21:49:14","modified_gmt":"2013-02-23T02:49:14","slug":"lifes-healing-choices-chapter-8-recycling-the-pain-pgs-241-267","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2013\/02\/24\/lifes-healing-choices-chapter-8-recycling-the-pain-pgs-241-267\/","title":{"rendered":"Life\u2019s Healing Choices: Chapter 8 – Recycling the Pain (pgs 241-267)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Choice8_LHC\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Galatians 6:1-2<\/strong>
\nMy friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out, and don\u2019t be tempted yourself. You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand.\u201d (CEV)
\nAt the beginning of this study in January, I had many comments on apprehensions, anxieties, and generalized worries about getting back in to the memories & experiences of the past. As the study progressed, I\u2019ve been able to see transformations in our participants. Some have had small \u201cAHA\u201d moments on how the past has shaped today. Others have had eye-opening revelations. Where ever this study has taken you, God has blessed your life.
\nWe are heading in to our final week of Life\u2019s Healing Choices, but this is not the final week of our journey. John Baker tells us, in the Celebrate Recover Participant Guide 4, \u201cHaving had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we try to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.\u201d Instead of the focus remaining on healing your personal hurts, it\u2019s time to consider how others can benefit from our experiences. Baker references \u201crecycling the pain.\u201d
\nRecycle — to adapt or convert something to a new use
\nWhen we faced the events that shaped our attitudes, addictions, thoughts or behaviors, we never would have imagined that good would come out of it. Romans 8:28<\/strong> states: And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.\u201d (NLT)
\nGod truly does have an amazing plan for His children. He does not sit around looking for ways to hurt us, complicate our lives, or bring us pain. This comes from our choices in life. But He does promise to use ALL things for His good purpose. So when I consider the experiences of my past, I need to look to ways my experiences can help others. What did I learn from these events that can be passed on to another, give hope and encouragement?
\nWe\u2019re reminded that God \u201cdoes His best work through weak people\u201d<\/p>\n

2 Cor 12:7 -10<\/strong> tells us,\u00a0\u201cBecause of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn\u2019t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan\u2019s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn\u2019t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,\u00a0My grace is enough; it\u2019s all you need.\u00a0My strength comes into its own in your weakness.\u00a0Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ\u2019s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size\u2014abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.\u201d (The Message)
\nIf you had asked me in 2001 what good would ever come from the chaos around me, I would have thrown up my hands and said \u201cNothing!\u201d I never could have imagined that God would restore my heart and soul to the point of remarriage, blending families, and step-parenting. And, I certainly wouldn\u2019t have ever guessed He would use me in a ministry position like Girlfriends Coffee Hour! But in the midst of everything, I didn\u2019t blame God or accuse Him of doing things to me. I knew He didn\u2019t want me to experience pain, but He promised to use whatever I did experience for the positive.
\nAs a parent, I see the same type of things with my kids. I don\u2019t sit around thinking of ways to inflict pain or hardship in their lives (though they may think otherwise with the household rules!), but I do know that their teenage minds will make decisions that sometimes bring painful consequences. My goal as mom is to help them learn from the experience, give suggestions to overcome, and help them move forward. There is a purpose behind all that we experience, whether we want to admit it or not.<\/p>\n

God does the same for us through His Word, our interactions with fellow believers, and in daily prayers with Him. Baker shares that , \u201cpeople are not helped by our strengths; they\u2019re helped when we\u2019re honest about our weaknesses \u2026 the proof that you are truly recovering is when you begin to focus outside yourself, when you stop being absorbed with your needs, your hurts, your problems. Recovery is evident when you being to say, \u2018How can I help others?\u201d\u201d pg.242
\nThis week we\u2019ll look more closely at the following questions:<\/p>\n