When Good Hurts

Sometimes the pain is proof you’re in the right process.

Nobody talks about the sting of obedience.

That slow ache that settles in when you’ve done the right thing and it still hurts.

It’s the breakup that honors God but breaks your heart.

The silence that keeps your peace but costs your comfort.

The “no” that protects your future but feels like loss in the moment.

We like our good to come with applause.

But often, God’s good comes with pruning.

“Every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

~John 15:2

The world says if it hurts, it can’t be good.

But Heaven measures growth differently.

There are seasons when obedience will make you question if you heard God right.

When you wonder if you’re actually regressing, not growing.

When doors close that you begged to stay open, and He lets them shut anyway.

That’s when faith graduates from theory to trust.

We assume comfort is confirmation, but sometimes it’s the distraction keeping us small.

God’s pruning is never punishment.

It’s refinement.

He’s not taking something from you; He’s making room for what can finally fit you.

You may lose a few people, plans, or platforms along the way, but peace will always replace what pain tried to steal.

You’ll realize later that the loss was language, and God was translating you into fluency in faith.

So when it hurts, breathe.

You’re not failing.

You’re forming.

Focus Point:

God’s “good” doesn’t always feel good; it grows you beyond what you thought you could bear.

If this resonates, pass it along to someone questioning whether their pain has purpose. It just might help them see that pruning is proof of progress.

Blessings to you, Jackie!