When they are not, the throbbing pain can prevent us from fully understanding how God is at work shaping us into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). In retrospect, ministers are able to revisit the difficult seasons of their lives and explore how God was using the pain to prepare them for the future. It was after introspection that Joseph was able to say, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Gen. 50:20).
