Pain is everywhere

Pain is everywhere and some wag said that "pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional". Some days I wonder what the difference is. Some days I know and some I am not so sure anymore. I recently spent some time with a friend who is in deep emotional pain due to a horrific loss. It's at these times that I am often at a disadvantage to provide appropriate help. But, I know this, I will continue to treat these, my friends with love and special care and significant prayer support as they walk these difficult days following this loss. That's a common type of pain.

I talked to my baby girl today (talk being an interesting word). I actually chatted using skype, because the computer person who charged me 275.00 to fix her laptop, didn't. So, she is in Europe with the laptop and I am here and we were chatting. She told me of the hard time she was given by her classmates because of her work on a Canada day event at school. She left in tears because of their rejection. That's another type of pain. Hers and mine from two different perspectives.

I have had the pleasure of ingesting a wonderful drug for most of my life whose purpose is to keep me breathing. We discovered some years ago that this wonder drug has caused some unwanted and adverse side effects that are irreversible. So, I am on the road to new knees, hips and most of my back being operated on. That's a different type of pain.

What we do with the pain is personal, individual and somewhat interesting based on so many factors. Some receive it and have been taught to "offer it up" as in the Catholic tradition. Some have been raised to internalize it, as in "don't let your grandmother see you crying, you'll just upset her", some don't quite know what to do with it and want everyone to share in it as in the "pity party". Some use to it "lord it over people" and wear it like a badge so that their experience is the only experience that is important and everyone should pay attention and submit themselves to them individual because their pain is greater than anyone else and their loss is therefore more important.

Most of us, I believe, run from it whenever it arrives, often on the other end of the telephone line in the message from a family member, the call from a friend or the Dr. calling with the results of the latest test(s). The pain is often expressed by the withdrawal of an individual who is awaiting everyone else to drop everything to come and ask "is everything all right".

One person, walked towards the pain with intent. He even chose it. He chose to lay down His life, no one did that for Him. And He suffered. He was rejected. I think of all the fears that I endure, being rejected has to be one of the greatest. But here was the babe of Bethlehem, the second person of the trinity, the son of God and God Himself who was rejected because of the message of hope that he brought.

How does this help me in my suffering? Sometimes I honestly just don't know how. I can mentally put the jig saw pieces together that shows the picture of His choice for my love, but I can't make that take my pain away. I can believe, trust and "hope" for the better future, but I can't understand. I struggle daily to understand why the events that I have been involved in for the past 25 months make any sense and I am quickly drawn to the very first bible verses that I memorized,

"trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not unto your own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy paths"

Wow: here's what stands out for me:

Trust, Lord, Own understanding, Acknowledge Him, He, Direct Your, Path

I must trust that the experience that I am involved in is for my good and if my life is to draw closer to Jesus and to become more and more like Him, then I must choose to endure the suffering without complaint. That's one small step for God and one giant leap for this member of mankind (with no apologies to Neil Armstrong).