The Purpose Of Pain

Not every street preacher is trying to scare you into heaven
or condemn you to hell... but rather sharing the Gospel...
which is about love, grace, hope, faith, and the kingdom of God awaiting you.

The growing process is stunted when an individual tries avoiding all instances of pain.

Pain is inevitable in this life.

It is with pain that a child comes from the womb into the world, and often times it is also with pain that life exits this world.

Notice it is through pain that lessons are learned, facts are established, right is clearly recognized from what is wrong.

Some pain is temporary, while other pain is lifelong.

At times we can choose which pain to endure, while some pain is purposed for us to endure.

We may be tempted to avoid pain altogether.

It is one thing when pain is caused us by others... and quite another thing when we pain others.

Have you noticed how pain and injury of many kinds is forwarded?

It is a human condition to forward the pain one has received... a pattern.

Here we can look into psychological injury carried through generations until that cycle is identified and properly dealt with.

Consider the tenderness of a child's heart, the clean canvas that is their mind, the ease with which a child imitates and follows what they see and hear.

One of the strongest warnings mentioned by the Messiah was in relation to children.

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in Me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!” 

- Matthew 18: 6-7

There is a lot to be derived from that particular passage (as with the rest of His Holy Message).

For this particular article, we can look at the case of children and the issue of not allowing sin to come through you and onto others: the forwarding of pain.

It is a grievous warning regarding how one treats, speaks to, acts before a child (and those who believe).

A child is a clean canvas, always learning and absorbing the manners of the world around them.

Ethnic prejudices, dark points of view, and low attitudes are systematically taught to children by those older.

These are sometimes not 'purposed' but are often times a part of a particular family or culture.

There are people who have endured overwhelming pain and have worked very hard to not forward their pain, their efforts similar to a dam in averting the natural flow of humanity's harmful ways.

Others are like wide rivers of wrath, unbreachable and unchanging in the damage caused by the torrential rains of sorrow flowing through them.

The Messiah's warning is to avoid being the latter.

The message is to endure pain that comes to you, to learn and grow, to forgive, to overcome whatever evil has fallen onto you, and not to forward evil to others, especially children and those heavenward (but not an excuse nor allowance to unleash onto anyone else).

It is an issue of self control and awareness that mentions awareness of one's pail of pain.

How full is that pail / bucket?

Where are you pouring out what is being filled into that pail?

Hopefully not onto others (as was likely done to you), but rather into the Way that reconciles all things to God.

When people search for healing outside of God, they are leaning upon men.. and men are fallible and likely have treatments in place of cures.

When people depend on the mere words of men, but not on the teaching from Above.. they are liable to exacerbate the pain rather than applying a healing balm.

When the process of pain's absorption is avoided (God's Way).. it should be no surprise that some people fail to grow as God intended them to grow, but instead go further away from the wisdom that comes through enduring this world's pain.

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 

- Romans 5: 3-5

If you continue to love, you will endure.

If you continue to love, you will forgive.

If you continue to love, growth will come along with understanding of why pain came to you in the first place.

Pain is a constant in this life... and no amount of pain has befallen you of which you cannot fully endure and overcome.

For those God has appointed for eternity, this is the hope given to you regardless of the pain:

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 

- 1 Corinthians 10: 11-13

As with any mention of Scripture in all of my work, it is the burden of the reader to consider the context and apply the overall message from Above to their lives... and may God bless you as you do your part.