I love sleep, but I hate that we
need it. One of the most intelligent
people I know once tried to convince me that since we spend so much of our time
asleep, it must have a specific and important purpose. I have been thinking a lot about pain
recently, and I wonder if similar logic applies.
Pain is a significant part of the
human experience, and everyone seems to find themselves in it at one point or
another. Does this mean there is a
purpose for pain? I would assume we
would like to think that the answer is no.
When I experience pain, I usually wish that it would end as quickly as possible. Pain is unfortunate and uncomfortable, yet we find ourselves and those around us in pain time and time again. I can’t help but think there’s a reason for it.
The dawn is beautiful because it chases away the night. Rain is a godsend in the desert I call home, where the sun shines over 350 days, the heat is relentless, and the summer lasts from April to October. The opposite is true in Seattle, when the miracle is the moment when the rain stops and the city experiences sunlight. A moment of laughter in the middle of a sad movie is a gift for the soul, and finally shedding tears after days, months, or years of holding them in is a sweet, sweet release.
My point is, these things would at most not exist and at least not be as beautiful or meaningful without their opposites. My fellow desert rats and I rejoice for rain and cool weather, but we would not have the same reaction without knowing all too well the dry, oppressive heat that reigns for most of the year. What if the same is true with pain? Would we know relief without it? Would healing be as sweet?
Pain in my life has been a refining fire and has made up the most critical chapters of my story thus far. I have learned lessons that I wouldn’t trade in for less pain. I have made and strengthened friendships over pain. I have become relatable to others because of my pain. I have been able to help others through their pain. I have found healing and felt loved and been embraced and grown stronger because of my pain.
I hate that there is pain in this world, but I love that even after the darkest night, dawn comes in the morning. Even after the coldest winter (somewhere far from where I live), beauty and warmth emerges with the spring. Even after the toughest of hardships, three things remain: faith, hope, and love.
And the greatest of these is love.
When I experience pain, I usually wish that it would end as quickly as possible. Pain is unfortunate and uncomfortable, yet we find ourselves and those around us in pain time and time again. I can’t help but think there’s a reason for it.
The dawn is beautiful because it chases away the night. Rain is a godsend in the desert I call home, where the sun shines over 350 days, the heat is relentless, and the summer lasts from April to October. The opposite is true in Seattle, when the miracle is the moment when the rain stops and the city experiences sunlight. A moment of laughter in the middle of a sad movie is a gift for the soul, and finally shedding tears after days, months, or years of holding them in is a sweet, sweet release.
My point is, these things would at most not exist and at least not be as beautiful or meaningful without their opposites. My fellow desert rats and I rejoice for rain and cool weather, but we would not have the same reaction without knowing all too well the dry, oppressive heat that reigns for most of the year. What if the same is true with pain? Would we know relief without it? Would healing be as sweet?
Pain in my life has been a refining fire and has made up the most critical chapters of my story thus far. I have learned lessons that I wouldn’t trade in for less pain. I have made and strengthened friendships over pain. I have become relatable to others because of my pain. I have been able to help others through their pain. I have found healing and felt loved and been embraced and grown stronger because of my pain.
I hate that there is pain in this world, but I love that even after the darkest night, dawn comes in the morning. Even after the coldest winter (somewhere far from where I live), beauty and warmth emerges with the spring. Even after the toughest of hardships, three things remain: faith, hope, and love.
And the greatest of these is love.
Stay tuned for my thoughts on
handling pain, because the important thing about pain is what we do with
it. The beauty is in the healing, not
the pain, but that doesn’t mean the pain is without purpose.
for they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:4
Tis true... the shadow proves the sunshine... Nice writing.
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