I'm thankful for headaches

For seven days in a row I struggled with the worst headaches. Today was the first day that I've felt good again. It's been a tough week because of this. But, I kept feeling God tug at my heart and I finally let him speak to me through His Word.

There have been times when I have to tell my kids, "Go say Thank You!" Sometimes some random person will give them a bag of chips and I make them say thank you! That's how I felt this week. God was telling me, his reluctant child, to be thankful for my headaches. He had to push me to do it, but I finally said thank you!




God is so good to me and he cares enough to show me more of himself little by little. He had to push his way in this time to show me that He is my strength. He is the one I need to keep my eyes on in order to do anything good at all. It's so true what it says in 2 Corinthians 12:10 that "when I am weak, then I am strong."

So, I made a list of the reasons that I can be thankful for my headaches:

* They keep me humble - 2 Cor 12:7 Paul was given a thorn in the flesh so that he wouldn't exalt himself. 1 Peter 5:5 says that God resist the proud, but gives grace to the humble...I have asked the Lord to keep me humble many times so that I can always be close to God's grace.

* They remind me that God's Grace is sufficient - 2 Cor 12:9 God's answer to Paul's request to remove his thorn in the flesh is: "My Grace is sufficient for you"

* Christ's power is more evident to me when I have headaches...I can't depend on myself so anything good that I do is all because of Him. 2 Cor 12:9b Paul says that he will boast in his weaknesses "so that Christ's power may reside in me."

* I am stronger in Christ because of my weaknesses. I have no choice but to depend on Him.

* God uses my headaches to reset my focus on Him to be my strength. I was clinging to God's promise to pull me through.

* I have no choice, but to acknowledge that God is sovereign. He's in control of even my headaches and He cares...so I cast all my cares on Him and cling to his promise in Romans 8:28

* During these difficult times my faith is tested. The testing of my faith produces endurance. James 1 says that ultimately through endurance we will be mature...I've prayed and asked God to mature my faith and He has definitely used my headaches along the way.