God Sees Our Need for Encouragement

“Encourage one another and build each other up.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Did not realize how sensitive the head is until I experienced a head injury a few months ago. I have hit my head a number of times on taxi doors and my car but not until a cold night in February did the impact of my head against the doorframe bruise my scalp so bad to cause nerve damage. Thankfully, I did not blackout and do not have neurological damage. But, over the past few months, I have struggled with pain in my head, light sensitivity, and nerve pain particularly on my forehead and other parts of my face and behind my ears. While I am so thankful for the lessening of the nerve pain and my doctor saying the nerves will heal, it has been incredible frustrating to “feel off” and not be able to complete the book that I am so close to finishing.

During this time, God has led others to encourage me in the moments when I needed it and taught me that I need people regularly praying for me so that they can fight for me in the spiritual realm. I know that the Lord allowed this injury and want to learn what He desires to teach me during this time. The enemy has used this to delay my writing and put pressure on me through pain and his voice of discouragement. But, I have felt strengthening through the prayers of a few friends and family members. With head injuries, your head feels heavy, so the lightness that I have experienced as I continue to heal feels heavenly. The burden of this pain feels so much lighter as others help carry my burden through prayer.

 Hearing the voice of preachers say since I was a teen about receiving nourishment through the Lord’s Supper has made me want to experience that more. With nerves quite active one Sunday evening, I sat on the back row of my brother’s church. During the Lord’s Supper, I experienced more of the fullness of that nourishment in ways that I have never experienced- the warmth of God’s presence smoothing the pain and lightness in the form of joy not just on the inside but I felt like my whole body was alive. I walked out of the service feeling like I had been to a doctor. This happened at a small PCA church during a normal Sunday service. My point for saying that is: God meets us in our daily lives in extraordinary ways.

It has not been an uphill climb with my progress as there have been some dips. One Saturday, a headache hit me harder than I had ever experienced. Then on Tuesday though it was much better, I did not realize since I have a high endurance factor and positive attitude how I needed to let God more into my pain. In a safe space with a loving friend and physical therapist, I allowed myself to release the pain built up on the inside. I did not know this was a common experience a part of facilitating healing for a head injury. I laid it all out on the table with God that day, and then the next day God showed me that He sees my pain and need for encouragement. Someone reached out to my about an opportunity that could be very rewarding and make a difference in other’s lives and further God’s plan for my book.

Often we think that God will do big things when we are feeling strong and doing well. But, in our weakness He is strong. I realize that I will have to rely on His strength to finish my writing enduring nerve pain. He sees all of this and allowed me to finish my writing pushing through pain with His strength. There are many more things that God will teach me from this experience. The number one thing that He wants me to tell you today is: God sees you and will encourage you through your pain.

– Mary Carmen

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