In this deeply personal episode of Born to be a Butterfly, Nina Pajonas shares real-time reflections from a season of heaviness and heartbreak and how the Lord is using them to build perseverance, purpose, and unshakable joy. With wisdom rooted in Scripture and experience, Nina unpacks the truth that every trial has the potential to become a testimony—if we surrender it to God.

You’ll discover:

✝️ Why Jesus is the ultimate example of joy birthed through suffering

✝️ How to view your pain as a holy process, not a punishment

✝️ What it means to carry spiritual joy before you ever see victory manifest

✝️ The importance of asking God the right questions in seasons of struggle

This episode features scriptures like Hebrews 12:2, Romans 8:28, James 1:2-4, and Revelation 12:11. It will encourage you to press on, hold fast, and keep your eyes fixed on the One who overcame it all.

Key Quote:

“You have to be tested to have a testimony. You can’t have one without the other.”

🦋 If today’s message spoke to you, please share it with a friend and follow Born to be a Butterfly so you never miss an episode. 

📖 Ready to dive deeper into healing and transformation? Get my book, From Broken to Butterfly, on Amazon today! 

📩 If you have any questions or want to connect Send me a DM on Instagram at Born To Be A Butterfly or email me at ninapajonas@gmail.com. I love hearing from you! 

Remember, the Lord can turn your wounds into wings—you were Born to be a Butterfly! 🦋

Born to be a Butterfly © 2025 Nina Pajonas All rights reserved. The content of this podcast is for informational and inspirational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. For the full disclaimer, visit ⁠ninapajonas.com.

This is a very personal episode for me.

Not to say that every episode isn't personal to me,

because they all are.

I always try to speak to you from experience.

I usually speak about specific things that I've gone through so that I can share the lessons I've learned from the Lord.

However,

this week I had such a hard time deciding what to talk to you about.

Usually during the week,

the Lord will give me a word or an idea about what he wants me to talk about.

Eventually. He usually gives me lines and maybe even leads me to Scripture.

And I love that interaction with him because it gives me great direction for what it is that you might be needing to hear.

Because, let's be honest,

who knows what you need better than God?

But I had gone the whole week not knowing what it was that he wanted me to say until today.

Today he revealed the Word that He wanted you to receive,

and he made it abundantly clear that he wanted me to discuss Perseverance how we must persevere through pain for the joy that awaits us as children of Christ.

We are subject to different kinds of persecution and suffering.

Each of us have our own stories, but we will all deal with things that trouble us.

This episode is personal to me because I'm going through it in real time and I've been going through it for quite some time.

This past month has been pretty heavy,

so today's episode is just as much for me as it is for you.

This is a really important word that the Lord has put on my heart for all of his children.

So let's get started.

Welcome to Born to Be a Butterfly,

where we embrace healing and growth in Christ so that we can experience true transformation.

My name is Nina Pajonas, and I pray that today's episode ministers to you.

Let's start in Hebrews 12:2,

fixing our eyes on Jesus,

the pioneer and perfector of faith.

For the joy set out before him,

he endured the cross,

scorning its shame,

and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

I really want us to listen to this scripture because it literally shows us how Jesus endured the cross.

It explains says for the joy set before him,

he endured the cross,

meaning he was focused on the joy that would come from the pain that he endured.

He was focused on the purpose for the pain,

not the pain itself.

He understood that's what he needed to go through to get to the other side where joy awaited him.

That's what he needed to go through so that he could sit at the right hand of the throne of God,

when we think of joy,

we rarely if ever think of suffering.

And yet that is exactly what this piece of scripture speaks about.

We need to look at the entire ministry of Jesus,

not just the day he made that fateful,

horrible and excruciating walk to the cross.

His entire life was filled with people betraying him,

trying to kill him,

trying to shame him,

and trying to silence him.

It was all the work of the enemy. And we can't lose sight of the fact that we have a Lord and Savior whose entire life was a trial,

it was a test,

it was painful,

and then it ended in the most excruciating way possible.

Jesus didn't get a pass from persecution because he was God.

He didn't get to walk through it like he was walking through a field of daisies because he was divine.

Jesus didn't get to take a detour.

His sovereignty didn't save him from facing immense stress and suffering,

though it could have.

Instead, the Lord's life was a living testimony of how good will always overcome evil.

His resurrection proved that even when it looks like the evil one has gotten his way,

the Lord our God will always have the last say.

With that knowledge,

we must understand and accept that our walk as followers will be exceedingly difficult.

However,

we must not fear or be discouraged by the treachery of the enemy.

We must remember that we walk in victory because we follow the one who declared victory.

The Lord himself tells us that in John 16, verse 33 and I I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.

In this world you will have trouble.

But take heart,

I have overcome the world.

There's something that the Lord put in my spirit about this.

He said, it's like a woman giving birth and all the pain that she goes through during labor.

After it's all said and done,

the mother hears her baby's first cry.

She holds the child in her arms and looks into her baby's eyes.

Doesn't the mother think that it was all worth it?

She's holding the baby that she formed in her womb with the Lord's help.

She's breathing in the scent of her newborn child,

the physical and spiritual being that she co created with Christ.

Was the pain and suffering not worth the birth of the baby?

The flesh and bone,

the skin and the soul of the most magnificent creation that could ever be known?

Of course it's worth it.

The mother is a vessel for victory because she created life within it.

Her joy lives within her before it is ever physically set out before her.

That's why they call babies bundles of joy.

Long before the mother gets to hold joy in her arms,

she carries it in her body.

And eventually she conceives a creation made from love.

And I want you to understand that if we really see things the right way,

so do we.

When the Lord gives us work to do,

whatever it looks like,

he gives us a vision of our victory.

He puts the desire in our hearts long before we ever see it come to fruition.

The seed is planted in our souls,

the Lord waters it with his love,

and eventually it bears fruit.

Then what we have only conceived of finally becomes a reality.

But the most beautiful part is that whatever we co create with the Lord is made in love.

And love is what we carry into eternity.

We can't focus on the trial.

We have to focus on the testimony that's going to come out of the trial.

We can't focus on the pain.

We have to focus on the purpose for the pain.

We must look forward to the good that God will extract from every bad experience.

As James 1, 24 says,

consider it pure joy. My brothers and sisters,

whenever you face trials of many kinds,

because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance,

let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,

not lacking anything.

I remember the first time I read this verse.

I thought to myself,

how am I supposed to experience joy while I'm suffering?

That's ridiculous.

But after quite some time,

I finally understood what James meant.

I can endure a great many things when I know who I'm doing it for.

And I can find joy in it when I know what I'm suffering for.

If I'm suffering for my Savior in order to serve him and to be his hands and feet,

it's worth it.

I'll gladly suffer for my Savior so that I can serve others well and steward the things that he's going to entrust me with.

I know I have to persevere to live a purposeful life in Christ.

I can endure the pain because there's a greater good that's coming out of it.

So my advice to you is,

is if you can't see the greater good that's coming out of your season of suffering,

ask the Lord to show you you can. Ask him,

Lord, what are you trying to teach me in this?

What are you working on?

Tell him I want to be fully aware of the work you're trying to do so that I can put forth extra effort to grow through the experience in every way possible.

Ask the Lord to allow you to hear the Holy Spirit clearly so you can follow his instructions.

I think God loves questions like this because it means that we're actively trying to grow our relationship with Him.

Pain is a very bitter pill until it serves a purpose.

But once it does,

sweetness surrounds it like honey,

making it easier to swallow.

For example,

this podcast I know that discussing the things that have hurt me can help others,

and that helps me make sense of the seemingly senseless.

It's the blessing after the burden.

Romans 8:28 NIV and we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him,

who have been called according to his purpose.

In God's hands, purpose can be born from pain.

In human hands, pain is usually in vain and leads only to more suffering.

But God can take the bad and turn it into good.

He can extract holiness,

righteousness, goodness, and greatness out of the darkest moments of our lives.

God can do that because he's sovereign.

He is divine.

The Lord can take mistakes and turn them into miracles.

He is the Creator of all things.

In his hands,

what's broken can become beautiful.

In his hands,

what was meant to hurt you can help you.

It can propel you into your divine destiny.

He can and will use all of it for his glory.

We must not let ourselves become defeated,

discouraged, or depressed.

It's hard,

I know.

But when we focus on the joy that we will feel in the future,

we can move forward faithfully.

We can't focus on the trials and the tribulations.

We must focus on the testimony that we're going to have at the end of it.

The testimony that is going to glorify our God,

as is said in Revelation 12,

verse 11. He NIV they triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.

They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

First we endure trials from the enemy.

Then we declare victory over the enemy,

just as our Savior did.

Jesus overcame the world and Satan by spilling his blood for us and by sacrificing Himself for us.

His life in exchange for all lies.

He paid for our sins and still wears the scars so that God the Father can look at us and not remember ours.

That is what our Savior did for us.

That is his testimony.

But what about ours?

The blood of the Lamb was spilled for us, but we need our testimony to destroy and defeat the enemy when he attacks us.

Our testimony is proof that we have walked fully and faithfully with Jesus to the best of our abilities.

It is the declaration of our dedication to Our Lord and Savior who laid down his life for us.

But you will not have a testimony if you don't have trials.

You have to be tested to have a testimony.

You can't have one without the other.

So when you're undergoing seasons of pain,

please remember who you are doing it for and what you are doing it for.

The Lord put a desire in your heart to do the work he's called you to do.

You must persevere to get to the promised land.

Your joy will be found in fulfilling the plans that Jesus has for your life and in becoming the woman that he created you to be.

If you remember nothing else from this episode today,

remember this Jesus is the joy that is set out before us.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father,

we come before you with open hearts,

grateful that you never waste our pain.

Lord, thank you for reminding us today that our suffering is not in vain,

that even in the fire you are forming something holy within us.

You are the God who brings purpose out of pain,

beauty out of brokenness,

and joy out of sorrow.

Teach us to fix our eyes on Jesus,

the joy set out before us,

and to walk faithfully even when the road is hard.

For the woman listening who feels weary,

strengthen her.

For the one who feels unseen,

remind her that you are near.

For the one who's questioning her calling,

speak to her heart and show her the victory that you are preparing.

We trust that in your hands our trials will become our testimonies.

Help us to persevere, Lord,

not in our own strength, but in yours.

Seal this word in our spirits, Father.

Let it grow,

take root and bear fruit. For your glory in Jesus, mighty and matchless name I pray.

Amen.

If today's message spoke to you,

or if you know of someone who's going through an exceedingly difficult time,

please share this episode with them.

If you would like to learn more about my journey of healing and transformation,

you can get my book From Broken to Butterfly on Amazon.

If you have any questions or want to connect,

Please send me a DM on Instagram (Born to be a Butterfly) or email me at ninapajonas@gmail.com. I love hearing from you.

Until next time.

Remember,

the Lord can turn your wounds into wings.

You were born to be a butterfly.