Purpose in Pain

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.


It is hard to remember that God is always working things together for good when you face things like your children being sick. Through the days of Rileys life I have found myself praying really weird prayers and asking for God to show me his hand in this and to show me his purpose. Sometimes when you don't get answers right away you start to feel that God isn't listening, but we also need to remember that sometimes our troubled times aren't always just to impact us.

About 3 weeks ago I was asked to speak at High Point Community Church in Orange Park and share my experiences with God throughout this whole Riley episode. While there I briefly spoke about when Becca and I had Ayden and how we were not married, but now we have turned that mistake into a ministry and how we have used our past experiences and mistakes to help people. I really didn't think anything about that comment I was just trying to illustarte that when we face troubled times we can either internalize our pain or give it to God and use it for his glory, which we are trying to do through our beautiful daughter.

Well on Wednesday morning I got a phone call at 8 am from someone I had never spoken to in my life. It was a young girl who told me that her teacher told her to call me, her teacher just happened to be in the congergation that day I spoke at High Point and I had no idea who the teacher was either. After trying to piece together how this girl contatced me she went on to tell me that she was 17 years old, pregnant, and had an abortion scheduled for tomorrow. Let me just take this chance to say I was freaking out in my head......What do you say to that.....The only thing I could do was to tell her about Ayden and how I once thought that an abortion was the best option for me and Becca, but that now I see that Ayden was the reason that I am who I am today.....Let me also say that God did not make Becca and I sin, but GOD WORKS ALL THINGS TOGETHER FOR GOOD FOR THOSE THAT LOVE HIM AND HAVE BEEN CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE....I just shared my heart with this young girl and tried to use my past mistakes and pains as a learning tool for her. After about a 45 minute conversation she had to go back to class, but she told me to call her after church that night......When I called her that night she told me that she had decided not to get an abortion and that she has telling her parents.....GLORY BE TO GOD......I was so happy that because of Riley being sick and the way that Becca and I have chosen to handle this I was asked to come speak at a church which in turn led to 17 year old girl not having an abortion.......It was God's hand in my daughters sickness.....It was him using it to impact and help others.

The crazy thing is that the next day this young girl called me and Becca crying it was about 10 pm. I asked her if she had told her parents and thats why she was crying, but she was crying because on the day that she was supposed to have an abortion and decided not to she miscarried.....Thats right the day that she was supposed to have an abortion but decided not to she miscarried.....I was amazed at that moment at how God had used my family in this girls life....Now because of everything this girl will not have to live with an abortion for the rest of her life.

It was God showing me that working all things together for good didn't just mean in my life and not to think for a moment that he is not hearing my prayers or seeing my tears.

So please be encouraged that your hard times might not be just to teach you something, but to teach those around you something as well. It would be ashame to not use something the way God intended it especially pain or hard times because then they are all for nothing.

Love,
Josh, Becca, Ayden, and Riley