Thursday, March 15, 2012

Pain

Visiting the hospital reminds me that people deal with pain in a variety of ways.  Some grin and bear it.  Some complain.  Some bark at the caregivers.  Some suppress the pain.  Some speak about it and others are silent.  Pain is a very strange thing ... a reminder of our humanity.

Michael Card writes a lullaby about the Revelation.  It is called "He Wipes Away Our Tears."  Some read this (Revelation 21:4) to believe that pain is never present in heaven, but if this is so, where did the tears come from?  In the passage there is no more pain from that point (glad of that!) but we often enter God's presence (and I think we will on that last day) carrying burdens that bring us pain. Here are a few observations about pain:

Pain is a sign of life.  We hurt because we are living humans who naturally feel pain.  There are medical conditions (such as CIPA and even diabetes) that mask or cause total insensitivity to pain.  The inability to feel pain in these conditions is dangerous and even life-threatening.  Pain is a warning and a sign that we have stepped over the limit and should stop.  This is not just true for physical pain, but other pain warns us to do something ... take some action ... take inventory of our situation.

Pain is not a respecter of persons.  It happens to rich, poor, powerful, helpless ... all of us feel some kind of pain.  How we deal with pain is another matter (note my observations from hospital encounters).  If you follow Jesus' life he experiences a number of situations that should bring pain (physical and emotional).  In His humanity He seems to deal with His painful situation in ways common to us.  Sometimes He is angry.  Sometimes He weeps.  Sometimes He removes Himself from the painful situation.

My last point (this is where I will end) is that He doesn't seem to do what our society chooses most often ... anesthetize the pain.  I am totally guilty here.  When my head hurts I look for a pill to take.  Maybe I should find a way to make my life less stressful.  When I was on a mission trip to Kentucky I had a pain of discomfort in my mid-back area, along with just a 'not good' feeling.  Like most guys I tried to "gut it out."  When that didn't work I took some aspirin (probably a good choice in the short term).  When the pain kept returning I played the last card for relief ... I went to someone who knew more than I did (a long list) ... the doctor.  I was in the midst of a heart malfunction and without help Lee would have been talking to the holders of my life insurance policy.  So ... if you have pain that keeps returning (physical or emotional) you might try talking to someone who knows more than you do.  That might be a doctor.  That may be a counselor.  It might be a friend.  And it just might be a God who will listen, give you some advice from His Word and then wipe your tears away.  That's my take ... Pastor Randy

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