I don’t know about you, but I’m not crazy about pain. Pain hurts!
For the last several months I’ve been dealing with almost constant neck pain. X-rays show significant degenerative arthritic changes of my cervical spine and I think I aggravated the underlying problem with all the lifting I did during our move.
I’ve been seeing a chiropractor, which helps some. I’m also doing stretching and strengthening exercises, will be starting PT soon, and my PCP gave me a referral to physiatry. In other words, I’m doing everything I can to mitigate the pain.
Richard Rohr, in his article “Transforming Pain” stated, “If we do not transform our pain, we will most assuredly transmit it—usually to those closest to us: our family, our neighbors, our co-workers, and, invariably, the most vulnerable, our children.”
We see the truth of these words played out in our world everyday, in broken homes, shattered lives, abusive relationships, and wounded hearts. On the world stage we see it most dramatically in the wars and conflicts between nations or people groups.
Whatever the setting, whether in private homes or armed conflict, the root cause is pain, the pain of poverty, disrespect, alienation, and despair. When this pain is allowed to settle in one’s soul it leads only to more pain, both for ourselves and those around us.
Just as I cannot fully eliminate the pain in my neck, so personal, family, and societal pain is tenacious. The secret is not necessarily to stop the pain, but to transform it into something positive, to use it to help us grow. This is what Paul was talking about when he said, “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3, 4).
Pain can cause terrible harm, especially if we transmit our pain to others. However, if we let God transform our pain and use it to help us grow, not only are we changed, but our corner of the world changes too. Transformed pain makes us more sensitive to the pain of others and the effect can be contagious.
No one really enjoys pain, but 2 Corinthians 4:17 promises “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Whatever kind of pain you are dealing with today, whether physical, emotional, or something else, give it to God and let Him transform it into something good – a thing called Hope.