The other day, I got a huge splinter in my hand. I’m not talking about the ones where you can just pluck it out with tweezers. I’m talking about one where I had to dig under the skin with a knife to get it out. Even though the pain of digging it out was hard to bear in the moment, I knew that it was worth it to remove what was causing the long-term pain. So after few tense moments and maybe a few choice words, I finally dug the splinter out.
It’s funny how something so small can cause so much discomfort. For a while, I wondered if I should just leave it in my hand and let it naturally come out by itself. But the longer it stayed, the more it throbbed. Ignoring it would have only made it worse in time.
In the book of Hebrews, the author writes, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).
This is a hard scripture to swallow, but it is also a very important principle to remember. When we make the decision to whole-heartedly follow Jesus, it will cost us. It might cost us some habits, friendships or relationships, mindsets, priorities, and even our comfort zone. But God loves us too much to be stuck with what causes long-term harm. Just like removing a splinter hurts in the moment, God sometimes removes unhealthy things from our lives that hurt for a while, but ultimately, it is for our good.
So today, if you find yourself in a situation where something or someone in your life is being removed, remember that the pain is temporary and the purpose is good. Trust that God, the gentle surgeon, is carefully working with precision to bring healing, growth, and freedom through the pain (Psalm 147:3).
When you start to feel yourself heartbroken from what is gone, speak this declaration out loud today by faith: God is the gentle surgeon. He knows what is best for my life. He removes what hurts me for my good, and He restores me with love and care.
The Bigger Picture: God, the gentle surgeon, will remove what hurts to make room for what’s good.
The Bigger Picture 