Here we are to continue our celebration of Easter! Please check out Julia’s blog, Lit a Flame, for more info – and a complete list of all the awesome bloggers involved!

I want to talk about food allergies. 🙂 Surprising, right? More specifically, I want to talk about something that led me to start this blog in the first place.

Dealing with severe food allergies began grating on my state of mind more seriously in the past few years. Not just with anxiety, but with the idea that all I had to go through because of anaphylaxis was in vain. There was no purpose to it. No reason for it.

And that grated on me.

I needed a reason for the pain.

But what if pain is a reason?

Pain allows for empathy and compassion. It breaks barriers that would otherwise exist between us and those who struggle with similar problems. And I’m not just talking about food allergies here – I’m talking about any kind of pain or hardship.

God’s goodness can be seen in these circumstances.

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Psalm 27:13

Jesus Christ endured unimaginable pain and hardship – for us. But the pain was necessary for the sacrifice. How do you know that yours is not?

When we step back and allow ourselves to see God’s goodness for what it is, I believe we also have an opportunity to strength our faith, realign our focus.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart . . .

Psalm 27:14

My own struggle with food allergies has dictated that I end up in certain places (often back where I started) more times than I care to count. But if I didn’t have food allergies, I wouldn’t be preparing to become a service dog trainer right now. (Read more about this in my first Easter Celebration post.) We can’t know how events – or even people – will be affected by what we struggle with – and how we respond to it – today. We can only be faithful, by waiting on the Lord. And trusting.

When we become consumed by the pain, we too easily lose sight of God’s goodness. We want a reason for the pain. So try and remember . . .

. . . what if the pain is the reason?

This is my last post for the Third Day Easter Celebration, so stop by Lit a Flame for the rest of the blog posts and the giveaway! ❤

Schedule:

Monday the 22nd

Lit Aflame: Why YOUR Testimony is Worth Telling (even if you’ve been “raised a Christian”)

Tuesday the 23rd

Lit Aflame: 9 MUST-READ Books That Glorify God (+ Mini Reviews)

Hannah Gaudette: Pain is a Reason

Wednesday the 24th:

Lit Aflame: 7 UNSTOPPABLE Ways to Portray God’s Greatness in Your Novel (part 2)

Soldier Girl Stories: Sunrise

Thursday the 25th:

Lit Aflame: Why YOU Should Read He’s Making Diamonds by S.G. Willoughby

Friday the 26th:

Lit Aflame: 4 Steps to Getting EXCITED About God’s Greatness Again (even in the small things)

Saturday the 27th:

Abigail Harder: God’s Holiness

Lit Aflame: Wrap-up Post // Giveaway Winner