And after you have suffered for but a little while, the God of all grace … will restore.

1 Peter 5:10a

Knee replacement was on my agenda this past year. Off with the old joint, on with the new, and then I’d walk painlessly. I was unprepared for the post-operative “in- between pain” — constant, aching, searing, recuperative pain. Replacing the old with the new, in surgery as in life, can require in-between pain. Wrongly, we often assume painless change. Jesus knew something about in-between pain. From Maundy Thursday through Good Friday, unrelenting pain! We ask, “Why did God allow this to happen to Him?” It was because of us and our sinful distancing from God. But then, Easter! In-between pain was over! New life had replaced the old forever. It was worth the wait! Next time you are walking through the valley of in-between pain, remember the Lord who has been before you, is beside you, and awaits you on the other side of in-between pain.

Don Hinchey
Loveland, CO

Suffering Lord, remind me of Your pain as I experience mine. Amen.

Reflect: Recall a previous surgery. What was recuperation like? How did the pain impact you?

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:21 and 1 Peter 5