Let’s face it: Life is tough. It’s full of its ups and
downs, moments of triumph and victories, as well as low points of despair and
hopelessness. As difficult as acknowledging and accepting these less-desirable
moments of difficulty and distress can be, we can take heart in knowing that pain,
like all things in this life, has a purpose—and an important one too. In fact,
if it weren't for pain, there’s a good chance you wouldn't be alive right now.
To feel pain is human, it is what helps keep you alive, and
it is what keeps you moving forward…
If you don’t believe me, just take a look at nature. The
universe thrives on contrasts and propels forward through discomfort. A mother
must experience birthing pains before giving life, a caterpillar must strain to
break free of its cocoon before transforming into a butterfly, a muscle must
become sore before it can strengthen and grow, and so on. And while the topic
of pain may not be a popular one, I think it’s important that we acknowledge it,
accept it, and learn to have a healthy understanding of it: After all, pain tis
a part of life. Before becoming resentful towards the suffering you may be
facing in your life, I hope you take a look at this post to see for yourself
how pain is not only important, but vital, and maybe even gain a healthy appreciation
for adversity. Here are a few of the “Purposes” of pain, or reasons why I have
come to see pain as an important part of life.
1. Pain is an
indication something is wrong.
Pain tends to be thought of as a bad or negative thing, but
it is actually quite useful and important. When we experience pain in the human
body, it is an indication that something is not right and needs to be fixed. In
fact, for parents whose children have the inability to experience pain and are
stricken with CIPA (or Congenital Insensitivity to Pain), their child’s inability
to feel pain becomes their worst nightmare. The reason for this is because the
inability to feel pain creates a whole host of potentially deadly issues.
People with CIPA have commonly died from things like appendicitis because they
were not able to recognize, diagnose, and treat their symptoms before it was
too late. It is clear that pain, as uncomfortable as it might be, can actually
protect us, and even save our lives! This
is true on a physical plane, but on an emotional one as well. Pain lets us know when something is wrong,
so that we can do something to change it. Similar to feeling
physical pain, experiencing emotional pain shows us that something in our lives
is not right. Our thoughts may be out of balance and constantly focused on the
negative, we may be obsessed with past circumstances we cannot change, we may
be dwelling on what we lack rather than what we are grateful for, we may have
toxic people in our lives that are draining our energy and dragging us down, or
we may be failing to live out our life’s purpose and calling—and as a result,
we feel emotional pain or discomfort. Once
recognizing the pain, the next step is to take action in changing it. Pain
gets a bad rep, but in reality it is extremely important because it
allows us to recognize and diagnose what is wrong so that we can make a change!
2. Pain is an
indication of growth. You
may not remember the pain your joints experienced as a preteen when you were
growing into your adult body, but you may remember the muscle pain you are
still experiencing from working out at the gym last week! The point is, that
Pain can also be an indication of growth, and often it is the times we are
experiencing the most spiritual, mental, and emotional growth that we
experience the most pain. The key is to recognize this pain for what it is and
come to a place of acceptance, and even gratitude for the lesson life’s pains
will teach us. The Bible says in Romans 5:3 (TLB) that “We can rejoice, too,
when we run into problems and trials for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient, for when
the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don't
try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full
bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and
complete" James 1:3-4 (TLB). “
I find it interesting that stroke victims were once
encouraged by their therapists to use the side of their bodies that were
strongest, and to avoid any use of the weaker side. Now, the exact opposite is
true. Scientists have found that when recovering stroke patients force
themselves to use their weaker side to brush their hair, pick up their coffee
mug, and other simple tasks that are seemingly impossible at first, the
patients create new neural pathways and feedback loops in the brain that allow
the recovering patients to not only heal, but become stronger than ever.
The same is true of our emotional, mental, and spiritual growth. When we avoid opposition and choose the
path of least resistance we inhibit growth and rob ourselves of the gems of
knowledge, character, and withstanding compassion and integrity that life's
lessons of adversity have to offer. It is true that in our pain we grow, and
though the path of most resistance may be a difficult one, its fruits are sweet
and it's outcome rewarding.
3. Pain teaches us
invaluable life lessons and prepares us for a position of leadership.
Similar to my previous point, it is clear that some of our greatest life
lessons come out of our greatest moments of discouragement, desperation, and
despair. Pain can be used to our advantage when we choose to see challenges not
just as hindrances, but as blessings and invaluable life lessons in-disguise. Time
and time again, history, experience, and even science has shown us that it is
adversity that helps shape us into becoming stronger, better, more grounded,
compassionate, and humble people. Surely facing a storm is never a comfortable
thing, but you can take heart in knowing that for every cloud there IS a silver
lining if we just choose to look for it. I love what psychiatrist, pioneer in grief, and author of On Death and Dying, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross discovered in her
findings, she writes:
“The most beautiful
people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known
struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons
have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills
them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people
do not just happen.”
If you are suffering right now from some sort of pain, be it
emotional, physical, mental, or spiritual, I want you to take heart in knowing
that the pain you experience is not in vain. In fact, when you feel resentful
of suffering, remember that it is those who face difficult hardship that are
being prepared for a place of leadership. Don't give up. Remember that Jesus’
"suffering made Him a perfect leader" (Hebrews 2:10). I’ve learned
that the path to greatness is not for the faint of heart, and rather than
allowing ourselves to be beaten down by life’s struggles, we can choose to see
the adversity in this life as “training ground” for the good that has yet to
come. Time and time again, history has shown us that it is those who face the
most difficulty that rise to the top when they choose
to use their pain and failures as fuel to their success. When you feel
resentful of suffering, remember that it is those who face difficult hardship
that are being prepared for a place of leadership. Don't give up.
4. Pain brings us
closer to others.
Not only does hardship prepare us for a position of
leadership, but the Bible and life experience show us that pain also brings us
closer to other people. When we ourselves experience suffering, we learn compassion, empathy, sympathy, and sensitivity to the pain of others.
Because we know what it feels like to suffer, we are more apt to being
concerned and loving towards those who are suffering also. 2 Corinthians 1:4
tells us that “He [God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort
others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort
God has given us.” In other words, our greatest pains often end up becoming our
greatest sources of encouragement and inspiration to others. Nobody can better
relate to and encourage someone else who is experiencing a hardship than
someone who has faced that very same hardship as well.
5. Pain brings us
closer to God.
As difficult as this point may be to grasp, the Bible is
clear that “God sometimes uses sorrow in our lives to get us to turn away from
sin and seek eternal life” (2 Corinthians 7:10). It’s true that when we are high and mighty we
are less likely to seek the love of an almighty savior than when we are down on
our knees.
We may do nothing to “deserve” the suffering we are
experiencing, yet God allows us to experience it for the
sake of growing in spiritual strength, integrity, humility, compassion, and
closeness with Him. The apostle Paul has said that God had given him a “thorn”
in his flesh, a “demon to prick [his] pride” because some of the things Paul
experienced were so amazing that God did not want Him becoming haughty or
filled with self-righteousness, vanity, or conceit. Paul even said that he had begged and pleaded
with God to take away this "thorn," that God would not. Though that
may sound cruel, God did it to keep Paul humble, grounded, and constantly
seeking Him. In fact, God’s response to Paul’s request was: “My grace is
sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians
12:9). God’s power is shown most
effectively through us when we are weakest. It was because of this realization
that Paul was then able to rejoice in his suffering, exclaiming: "I will
gladly boast in my weakness, for in my weakness, HIS STRENGTH is most apparent!
For when I am weak, then I am strong, the less I have, the more I depend on
Him" (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Finally, I’d like to add, that just as parents most parents often attempt
to shelter their children from hardship and suffering, it is the very thing that can keep them alive. For those who can feel no pain (CIPA), parents must teach their children what pain feels like. I find it ironic that the
very thing we tend to avoid in any possible way (pain) could be the very thing
that saves our lives and keeps us breathing. What would life be like without
any physical or emotional pain?
If you are a Christian, you probably know that the Bible
tells us that “the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son
whom he receives” (Hebrew 12:6). Think of a parent that loves their child. They
wouldn’t allow their children to get away with anything and everything. They
would discipline their children when they need it in order that their children
may grow up to have character, integrity, be honest, loyal, and trustworthy.
Just as parents discipline their children when they love them and want the best
for them, so God does for us. What kind of God would He be if He never allowed
us to experience discomfort? We are told in Proverbs 3:12 that “the LORD
corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he
delights.” Sometimes we experience pain because God is trying to get our
attention and teach us something. This is not always the case, as even people
who strive to honor God will suffer just as those who do not. However, we can
take heart in knowing that the hardships we face are not in vain, but are
teaching us, growing us, preparing us, and bringing us closer to God and those
around us.
I hope you found this post encouraging and have gained a
new-found ability to cope with pain and maybe even be appreciative of the silver lining that comes with the cloud :-) I wish you all a wonderful week, and I will keep all of my readers in my prayers this week, especially those of you who are experiencing a phase of hardship. All my love I send to you,
Brigitte
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