Transforming Our Pain

I had to go to the wig shop the other day. The wig
that I had was fitted for me while I still had hair. Now
that I had lost all of my hair it was too big. It was the
first time I had been there since the day I had my
head shaved. How vividly I remembered that day.
I went to the shop and the door was locked.
Since it was during regular business hours, I
called the shop number and Sarah, the owner,
answered the phone. I said Sarah, "I'm outside and
wanted to have my wig fitted but the door is locked."
She said "Could you just come back at 4:00 because I
have a private customer in here and need to close the
store while she is here." I said, "No problem, I'll just
come back at 4:00.
When I got back to the shop at 4:00 I was curious. I
asked Sarah why she had to close the shop for one
patron. Sarah said "The customer has cancer and was
in to have her head shaved and was overwhelmed and
crying. She didn't want to be seen by anyone. I had to
close the shop for her." My heart immediately went
out to her. I so wished that I had known so I could
have come and given her a hug when she was
finished. I knew exactly what she was going through.
I felt her pain because I had experienced it myself. I
wanted more than anything to tell her "It would be
OK." I wanted her to know that it wasn't the end of
her life as she must be feeling right now.

I was saddened by the fact that I didn't get the
chance to be there for this lady, but it really made me
think about our role in comforting others when they
are in need.
I believe that blessings can come out of every sadness
that we endure in our life if we choose to let it be a
blessing to someone else.

I remember the overwhelming sadness I felt in the
loss of my mother. I couldn't understand why God
would take her away so quickly. I thought my heart
would never heal from the wound of losing her. I
certainly didn't see her death as any "blessing". But in
time, I discovered that God had brought people into
my path who were experiencing the very same
feelings as I had. And we had an instant bond! A
connection shared by having gone through the same
experience. And I also discovered that through my
being able to offer comfort to them, I in turn
experienced a healing. Offering comfort to someone
who was hurting in turn brought comfort to me.

I believe that God can take our hurts and transform
that pain into encouragement for the people around
us. His grace can take our trials and deserts
and turn it into a blessing in the life of someone
around us. Our task is to be open to those who need
us.