Pain sucks. There, I said it. Sometimes I get in trouble for using such words. For some, it’s not acceptable language, and for others, it’s just an annoying word. If you have a better word that a Pastor can say, I am open to suggestions. I can think of several, but they’re not appropriate for public consumption.
It’s a prominent theme in my writing. Why? We have to be able to acknowledge reality, and the losses that come with it. There’s no strength found in pretending that we are not in pain. And there’s no denying the corresponding grief that often accompanies pain. However, there is strength found in the admission that my pain is more than I can bear. And there’s incredible strength in feeling the feelings going on inside of us. Our tendency to escape, numb, fight, or run from those feelings compounds the pain. We think we can avoid the pain. At best, it postpones it. At worse, it passes on the pain to someone else.
So, what do we do? Acknowledge the reality of it. Feel it in all the ways we would rather avoid. Talk about it. Turn to Jesus in it. Rely on others through it. And make the decision to embrace life anyway.
Life is about far more than our pains. But our pains are often a wake-up call. They create perspective if we let them. Our pains often cause us to develop empathy and compassion. Our pains often bond us together. Our pains are often the sign the something is wrong, but also the motivation we need to act. Our pains are often the very place where our lives become stronger, deeper, and more loving. Whether we like that about ourselves or not.
Remember – just because pain sucks doesn’t mean that life has to.