Pain is a physical indication that something is wrong. Something within our body has been damaged or is not working as efficiently as it should. We do not question physical pain in the sense of it being an indicator of a problem, but
when it comes to emotional or spiritual pain, we seem to have little or no respect for its purpose in showing us that something is not right.
They say in a time of crisis it will make a man. Difficulty produces perseverance, patience & endurance. Yet we are seekers of the easy path, the smooth life and in times if difficulty we often throw our hands up in the air. Not unlike a child's temper tantrum and demand an explanation. Perhaps the best way to approach emotional and physical pain is to first ask ourselves, ' What could be wrong here? What is this pain showing me?'
In the past, before I embraced any big change in my life, long before the birth of the new seasons, I would experience pain. Emotional frustration, dissatisfaction, tension, I would feel tearful, estranged, I would perhaps long for something different. At times I knew what I was longing for, a new baby, a larger home to accommodate our larger family. Other times I would feel the pain, but be totally unaware of my inner longing.
What do we do in these times?
Firstly, stop. Take hold of those painful emotions, the questions, the anxiety. Take stock of them and hold them lightly in your mind. Then ask yourself why. Why am I feeling this way? Why am I dissatisfied? What has changed? If you write your thoughts down it is easier to build a picture of your situation.
Secondly you may want to remind yourself that things happen in seasons, you may be feeling terrible in this moment of uncertainty but it will pass. The sooner that you realise what is taking place, the sooner you will move through to the place of rest at the other side.
Consider your place of pain to be like a tunnel. It casts a shadow over you, it limits your perspective of the outside world and the possibilities that lie up ahead but the only way out, is to go through.
Spiritual pain has the same principle, pain indicates that something is not right, a lack of peace, lack of direction, doubt, they all need addressing, not burying.
You would not ignore a physical aliment, that refused to heal. The same is true for an emotional or spiritual problem. Acknowledge it, feel it, examine it, and seek the answer to the problem.
Pain is not an enemy, it is a messenger. A red light to highlight an issue within you that needs healing.
Take heed to your personal pain, and seek to bring healing by listening to your intuition and spirit.
We have a comforter, a God who understands our pain, and He can bring us relief and show us the purpose of our pain.
'Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.'
Hebrews 2:17
