It occurred to me some time ago that pain is
a gift; an unwelcome gift, but at gift. In
life, we live in either the past, the
present, or the future. We worry about the
past, and we fear what could come in the
future, but seldom do we live in the present.
The present moment is where we have the
potential to enjoy virtue. Virtues are those
states of being, like love, that don't have
attachment to an outcome, are not improperly
judgmental of others or ourselves, and expand
our soul toward its highest potential. It is
only in the present moment that we can grow
in this way.
Pain draws us into the present moment,
against our deepest tendencies to worry about
the past or the future. Eventually, as we
accept the opportunity to live in the moment,
we begin to grow, develop, and mature into
our potential.
In short, pain helps us to live in the
moment. Pain helps us to grow. Pain helps to
soften our hearts so we can learn to become
who we are meant to become.
Here are some thoughts that we received from
our readers or that I have had throughout the
years:
"First off, pain exists as a result of the
fall of mankind into sin and of God's gift of
human free will. Sometimes the choices we
make (eg. pushing ourselves more than we
should physically, accepting other's negative
comments about us) or that others make (eg. a
road rage driver causing a serious accident)
cause pain. That does not negate the nature
of God being good and loving. Pain does not
come from God, but He does permit it. Pain is
simply a part of this life on Earth. How we
respond to pain is the real test of our love
towards God. Some people turn away and curse
God, others run to Him and allow Him to
minister comfort. Pain can be a teacher. I
believe we can learn patience and courage
through pain. Other lessons can be learned by
being quiet and listening to our body, a wise
person, or God Himself while we are in pain.
Of course, one of the lessons pain can teach
is to be kind and empathetic toward others
who may be experiencing pain. I'll be the
first to admit that I don't like pain and
don't go seeking it out. I think it is
natural to want relief from pain, but even
when there is seemingly no relief, there is
still comfort available."
The pain of a stretching soul is divine pain.
The groans they emit are prayers of the
purest kind.
Spiritual growth is not an end run around
your agony or pain. It is a Gethsemane where
we come face to face with our pain and
embrace it with love, transforming it into
power.
The level of stimulation in the body will
keep us in the flesh to our allotted days
end. The stimulation will be of one type or
another, either spiritual or physical
stimulation, even if that stimulation is
pain.
If we are spiritually committed to a cause,
it will keep us healthy in the flesh and give
us vigor. If we get too caught up in the
bonds of physical stimulation and sensation,
and lose the subtle delicate senses of the
spirit, our inevitable pain turns into
optimal suffering. If we enjoy and encourage
the physical sensations of the flesh, either
taste, feel, sexual, or sound, at the expense
of the spiritual, we become a natural man. We
must eschew the appealing but skeletal
cravings of the flesh for the subtle but
peaceful sensations of the spirit.
What is pain? Why must it exist to grow? Does
it have to do with the spirit gaining
supremacy over the flesh?
Why is growth so painful? Do trees have pain
as they grow? They lose their foliage and
leaves every season. Their bark is so rough
and cracked. It sloughs off as the tree
grows. One of the differences between us an
trees is that the trees cast their fruit our
of their highest potential, but that
potential is fixed. Our potential is
constantly able to change, and as a result,
our fruit can be improved on a constant
basis. An apple tree will produce seeds that
will produce new trees with the same
potential as it had. The seed will grow into
a tree about the same height, and produce
about the same quality of fruit as the parent
tree. We, on the other hand, can produce
offspring that produces fruits far beyond our
own potential.
If we always grow through the difficult
times, why are the difficult times perceived
as difficult? Why do we call pain bad if it
is clarifying and instructive? If our
objective in life is to learn, grow, and
develop more divine attributes, why do we
seek easy and quiet times? It takes rain to
make plants grow, and it takes adverse
conditions to cause the roots of the plant to
grow deep to survive in challenging times.
Roy Talker, an old college roommate of mine
and also a Navajo Indian, tells a story he
learned from his great-great grandfather. The
story is of the two trees in a desert stream
bed. One grew by the stream, and the other
far away from the water. In a strong wind,
the one by the stream was blown down, yet the
one far from the water was unaffected because
it's roots were deep in the ground. The roots
had to grow deeper in order to find water on
a daily basis.
Pain is the vital catalyst to growth. Embrace
your pain, learn from it. Let it teach you.
Only then can it walk from the room of your
life, having fulfilled its purpose.
