Pain Pushes until VISION pulls.

Genesis 1:2, The earth was without form and was void, until God's vision formed the earth.

Similar to when our lives lack direction, our lives are void for form, and the pain of the void pushes us mentally, emotionally, and sometimes physically. Pain as a result of void in our lives is God working to transform us; God uses the pain as a reminder that it is time to make a shift or a reminder that we need to birth something new in our lives, reminder that we need to take the next step towards the complete formation of our life. The pain pushes until we begin to refocus our energy.

When God decided to use Mary to fulfill his purpose of bringing his son into the world, she could never have imagined the pain that would come from it; Mary taking on the tasks of birthing Jesus lead to much pain (1) people ridiculed her (2) she almost lost her fiance, (3)she would be shamed for having a baby out of wedlock. But what caused Mary so much pain God used to change the world.

God's favor does not come automatically, nor does it bring instant success, sometimes in order for your vision to pull you out of the painful place, God must push you to the brink. God allows the pain because He needs you to learn from it, He needs you to learn to be patient and trust Him, He needs you to arrive at an aha moment where all you can say is God, I see what you are doing, have your way. How does vision pull you out of the pain?

It is similar to pregnancy and childbirth. I dislike being pregnant. I am uncomfortable; my body does not feel like it belongs to me; I have no energy, my feet hurt, my back hurts, I am miserable. When I am pregnant, I am entirely focused on the discomfort and count down every second of the pregnancy. But then comes that moment when I hear the heartbeat of the baby, that moment instantly refocuses my energy, it creates a sense of worth and accomplishment. The pain shifts and the vision of what is to come in a few months overshadow the pain. The vision of this child whose heartbeat I heard just heard begins to pull me away from the pain and discomfort of pregnancy.

Pain pushes you, but vision pulls you into another realm of what is possible, vision pulls you to the realm of your possibility, your purpose, your passion. Vision enables you to focus your attention on things of greater value than what the pain represents.