1 Chron 4:9-10. Jabez was a man who had pain associated with his name. There was something that had happened in his past that he had no control over. This threatened to affect his whole life, yet we read that Jabez turned out to be an honourable man and rose above that name, his past, and the pain. We read his prayer asking for blessing, increase, and protection. A prayer that God answered. Like Jabez, we do not have to live in the effects of the past, but let us look to God for a new blessing.