Pain Happens



While driving home this evening, I was considering what to write about, and this idea occurred to me...pain is so much a part of our lives...so unavoidable...that truly, death is the only permanent solution to the problem of pain in this life. And then, depending upon your belief system, you may have any number of ideas about what happens next...

As a Christian, I believe that life follows after death...and that the life that comes beyond our earthly experience is free from pain. I don't know exactly how that works...who among us really does? But I believe in the teachings of scripture, and the promises made by Jesus to all of us who follow him...and for now, that will have to suffice.

In the meantime, while we live out our lives on this earth, we will have pain. The question is: how do we deal with it? I used to joke with a friend that my life seemed to always be 2/3 great...of the three major slices that make up the pie of my life...relational, spiritual, and work...two areas always seem to be in pretty good shape...and one area...not so much. The trouble is, everything is always in motion. Just when I think I've got things running smoothly in most of my life, something goes south on me...peace and harmony and happiness can be elusive, that's for sure! I wish for a time when everything in every area of my life would run smoothly...happily...free from pain...but that's not how life goes, is it?

Today's reading from Eugene Peterson's devotional, Solo, is taken from the Old Testament book of 2 Samuel. In the passage, David is lamenting the deaths of King Saul, and his son Jonathan. Both were killed in battle, but because Jonathan was David's closest friend, his pain over their deaths was intense. I love Peterson's commentary on the passage, but most especially what he has to say about pain:

"Sometimes pain and suffering are the central emotions of our hearts. We cannot avoid pain and suffering, but we can control how we respond to it...David's reaction is to be honest and open about the pain rather than avoid it or pretend it isn't there. "

Pain isn't pleasant, but it isn't all bad, either. Pain can signal danger, which can be lifesaving...and pain can signal growth, which can be lifegiving. Even though pain might be a necessary unpleasantness of the human experience, we still need a place to go with our pain...a way to learn from it, to make sense of it...to find solace when we're hurting.

Peterson goes on to say that God is attentive to our pain. Answers to our questions may be slow in coming...relief from the source of our pain may tarry, but we can live our lives knowing that God is loving enough to listen to our complaints and crying, and is big enough to care for us in the midst of our suffering.

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