Purposes of Pain - Part 2
Welcome back! This is the second part in a two-part series on the Purposes of Pain. In the previous post, we covered one of the foundational purposes, one that is consistently present in moments of pain.
Pain is a Warning Signal. When we experience pain, it doesn’t require any extra brain power or comprehension to know that what we just felt was not pleasant, healthy, desirable, or worth repeating. Whether physical or emotional, pain is a signal that warns us when something is wrong and needs addressing.
We discussed that pain is necessary. To be clear, I don’t mean necessary in the sense that we should seek it out, or inflict it upon ourselves, or that it’s joyful; but necessary in a way that it gives us insight.
So what is the insight that pain gives us? Keep reading…
I want you to pause for a minute and think with me about what it means to know that something is wrong. Go ahead, ask yourself: “How do I know something is wrong?”
You might have a complex, philosophical/theological answer; you might think in more simple terms. Either way, what it boils down to is this: something is wrong when it isn’t right. Well, duh.. But really take a second to think about that. The only way something can be wrong is if there is a right alternative.
{To further explain, we’re not talking about laws or morality here with the terms “right” and “wrong”. We’re talking in the context of painful circumstances in life. If it helps, think of the terms “joyful”, “healthy”, or “whole” instead of right; and “painful”, “unhealthy”, or “broken” instead of wrong. If you plug these terms back into the previous paragraph it could read this way: “something is unhealthy when it isn’t healthy”.}
To know that something is wrong means we’ve seen and experienced the right version of it. If every person to ever live were born with a genetic mutation for cancer then it wouldn’t really be a mutation; it would be a normal genetic makeup. But because most of humanity is not born that way, because we don’t anticipate it and can’t always predict it, because we know what it looks like to live without the pains and losses of cancer, we are deeply hurt when it does rear it’s ugly head. Cancer is painful because we know the joy, the flourishing, the normalcy of living without it.
“Pain would be no problem unless, side by side with our daily experience of this painful world, we had received what we think a good assurance that ultimate reality is righteous and loving.”
Things are not supposed to be this way. Life is not supposed to be this painful. If pain signals that something is broken, it simultaneously indicates that there is a whole version of that same thing. Something may be wrong, but there’s an alternative. Why does it matter that pain signals to us what is broken? Because it gives us insight to see that, on the other side of what is broken, there is opportunity for it to be made whole.
We now come to the second foundational purpose of pain.
Pain is an Opportunity
As pain signals to us the hope of something better, it creates opportunity for us to move towards that “something better”. Better mental health, better self-image, better relationships. In seeing what is wrong, we’re given insight into what we need in order for things to be right again.
We may need to forgive or ask for forgiveness. We may need to walk away from a relationship or seek restoration in it. We may need more prayer or more counseling. We may need more hard work or more rest.
Spend some time today, and throughout this week, to reflect on the broken areas of your life. Ask yourself, “What do I need in order to heal? What would allow this situation to move towards a healthier outcome? What step(s) can I take right now to right the wrongs in my life?”
Ask these same questions to others around you-trusted friends, family, pastors, counselors. Often times we don’t know what we need because we are too narrowed in on our pain. We need the perspectives, the wisdom, and the experience of others around us to help guide us towards healing.
Additionally, don’t ever hesitate or cease to pray. Ask God to show you what you need. He can show you through prayer or Scripture and He can speak to you through the people around you. He hears every one of our prayers. He wants us to ask of His wisdom and His plans. God delights in leading us to healing, growth, and redemption.
A healthy response to pain is to see it as an opportunity. An opportunity to recognize what needs addressing. An opportunity to correct and prevent (if possible) what is wrong. An opportunity to learn more about ourselves. An opportunity to shift our perspectives. An opportunity to grow as a result of the pain. An opportunity to heal from the pain. An opportunity to help comfort and guide others in their pain.
You have an opportunity to move from pain to joy, don’t keep yourself stuck in the pain!
-Stephanie Lauren Auman
