Tip: Pain is failure alerting the body!
Recently I had both of my hips replaced. My original set up hips had just worn out! I was in pain night and day. Something had to change. When my physician showed me a picture of the X-rays he told me he was surprised I had lasted this long with the current condition of my hips! It was time for a tire change! Everything went great and I feel better than ever! Modern medicine is a miracle!
I doubt that any of us enjoys pain. After all, who would look forward to being in discomfort in their personal life, their health or in their relationships? Yet, if you stop and think about it, pain is a gift. It tells us that there is a problem or a failure somewhere; something is wrong.
C.S. Lewis is the famous author of The Chronicles of Narnia. That collection of books includes The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was also made into a movie. He wrote a somewhat controversial book called The Problem of Pain. He explained in the book how pain was necessary in order to help re-direct us in every area of our life. Perhaps a simple little illustration will point this Tip in the right direction.
If you are in the kitchen and the stove is red-hot, it is a good warning signal to you that if you touch it, it will cause you pain. If you did not have the ability to feel pain, you might accidentally put your hand on the stove and it would burn it severely. Certainly you would not want that to happen.
This is not only true in the physical realm; it is also true in our personal lives as well. Many of us have experienced pain in our personal finances. Perhaps that is an indicator that there is something wrong with the way we look at or handle our financial situation. There is no longer such a thing as job security or financial security. There is always some unknown mitigating circumstance that could happen that would cause us to look at our financial picture in an entirely different light.
If there is pain in a personal relationship, the pain is alerting us to the fact that something is wrong. Maybe counseling is needed or perhaps someone needs to wake up to the way they are behaving or treating other people. Unfortunately, many times that is not realized until someone walks out of a relationship. Pain is a good thing because it indicates that a failure has occurred and that something needs to change.
I am not a sadistic person. I do not wake up every morning thinking, “Oh, boy, I look forward to having pain in my life today!” I do not like pain any more than you do. I simply want all of us to understand that pain is not a bad thing. It is like a red flag waving to get our attention so that we can understand that something has gone wrong. Maybe you need a new hip, possibly two!
When you are driving your car and a little red light comes on in the dash panel, it is a warning signal. It is telling you that something is wrong and that you need to quickly do something about it. If you fail to heed the warning, it will not be long before you may find yourself standing on the side of the road! When you pay attention to the red warning light in your car it will help you and work in your favor. Your vehicle will cooperate with you take you anywhere you want to go. But, if you do not pay attention to the needs of your car, sooner or later, the red light will come on and let you know that it is in pain.
When we recognize that pain is a good thing, we can immediately allow it to put us back on course and help us go in the right direction.
I know that I sometimes repeat myself. I think it’s a habit I picked up from my father. He used to say things to me over and over again. I guess it was because he either didn’t think I was listening or that I wasn’t “getting it” or maybe both! I have come to see that repeating myself, however, does add emphasis and clarity. It is always great to say the same thing 2 0r 3 different ways in order to cover every angle on a topic. So, risking repeating myself, let me say one last time, I have learned that pain is my friend! I do not look forward to having pain in my life. However, I have learned that it is a gift and a signal that helps put me back on the right path.
The next time you experience pain in your life, don’t run from it, don’t reject it and don’t blame someone else for it. Look to see where you are hurting and what you can do about it to make your business, your personal life, your spiritual life or your financial life better by making the necessary corrections that relieves the pain and keeps you from failing any longer in that area. I know this is my approach. It is working for me and I know it will work for you too!
Tip: Pain is failure alerting the body!
Have a great week! God bless you!
Dr. Robert A. Rohm
