Sometimes God gives you unexpected grace in the middle of pain. Occasionally this grace can come in the form of understanding.

Quite a few years ago I became a walker. I would walk throughout my neighborhood on the lovely paths which wind through the meadows and creek. I would ask my boyfriend to walk with me and he would rarely do it. He said his feet hurt too bad. I told him to take probiotic. After quite a few months of ceaseless nagging on my part he took them. His pain in his feet disappeared.

Then my feet started hurting and boy did they hurt. I was diagnosed with Plantar Fascitis and soon I went from walking 3-5 miles daily to hardly being able to walk at all. I took probiotic and went to several different doctors but rest was the only thing which relieved the pain. I also started taking pain medication for the first time in my life.

A couple of years ago my boyfriend had a rotator cuff surgery. At that time we were not seeing each other. That poor guy had to suffer through the rehab of a very painful surgery all by himself. I don’t know how he did it but he survived. Thank God!

Recently when I suffered another collar-bone fracture I was in horrendous pain. My boyfriend was the one who came and took care of me. I couldn’t have asked for a kinder and more compassionate caregiver. He was the best.

One of the reasons why I think he was so good was because he had suffered through the rotator cuff surgery and knew how horrible that pain had been.

When I think of Christ coming to earth I know the primary reason He came was to die for our sins. Yet, I think there may be more. He was tempted as a human and has understanding for what we go through in life. That may be why the God of the New Testament is so full of mercy and grace.

Thank you Jesus! Lord knows I need that!