AUGUST 24 IS ENDITNOW DAY

Each year the Women’s Ministries Department of the General Conference prepares material that can be presented on the annual ENDITNOW day on the fourth Sabbath in August. This year the material was written by Julian M. Melgosa, PhD, Associate Director of the Department of Education General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
Considering all the pain that is caused by abuse and violence, we need resilience in order to survive and not be broken. God always provides a path to resilience. People need to feel hopeful and useful, and these God-given tendencies help them bounce back and navigate the new normal with flexibility and adaptability.
We live in a world full of pain and injustice. Not only do we witness suffering and death, we experience it. Yet, Jesus promises that such pain will become joy: “I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy” (John 16:20). Maybe this message is for a dear one who is suffering. Perhaps someone needs your presence. Perhaps your loved one’s pain will guide you in learning how to effectively support others as the hands and feet of God. Perhaps the church community will gain many blessings by caring for your loved one. Good things can develop from painful experiences.
You may be going through difficult times in an area of your life—health, family, work, faith, relationships, church. Or perhaps you already went through a traumatic event with its various sequels of trauma and you are suffering mentally or emotionally for what happened in the past. Maybe the situation is serious enough that you should consider professional psychological/psychiatric help. Whatever, the case, you are not alone.
You can be blessed by the Lord, both directly and indirectly, through the support of other people. Allow God to work in your life. Keep the avenues of prayer and Scripture reading open. Tell Him how you feel. Then place your trust in God and praise Him. Share any blessings you receive with others. And participate in your church group of believers.
Even when you do not understand why the Lord is allowing painful things to happen, get help, lean on someone you trust, talk about what hurts you. You are not alone. Finally, be patient, for He will not allow pain to be greater than you can take. In the meantime, hold onto promises like these: They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. Psalm 18:18, 19
The sermon material is available through the link women.eud.adventist.org/en/resources/