christ and pain, and what do i know?

I opened up my book, "The Problem with Pain" by C.S. Lewis to take a look at what I was going to begin reading. Inside was a note written by a friend who had just been over. He must have written it when I stepped out of the room. It read, "The problem with pain is that it hurts." I laughed and smiled, then closed the book.

It's been four years since I found that note. I've thought about it pretty consistently since then. I often say it to myself, and I know I've probably said it to others. I believe there is actually something quite profound to the statement. Something which the world can't handle, but Jesus can. We are surrounded by such mind numbing, heart numbing technology, expectations and escapes that it's pretty clear our goal throughout life is to avoid pain. We'd rather not feel than experience pain. I've been asking why I expect my life to be painless. God doesn't promise that our lives will be pain free on this side of Heaven, but he does promise that, "…the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." (1 Peter 5:10) Peter assures us also that "the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world."

I see in the pain that is in my life right now that God is calling me to submit to Him. And although I've experienced pain since He saved me, this time is different. I no longer want to just move on and deny what there is to learn here. I want to face it. I want to settle into a peace that only Christ can provide. And maybe the true thing to see here is that life is very painful. I want to say things like, "It's unfair!" "Why do I suffer more than someone else?" and those statements are marks of my own immature heart. If I continue to wallow in the unhappiness of broken plans and hearts, then how deep is my devotion to my sovereign God? He is concerned with my passion for Him. He is concerned that "the inner beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit" (1 Peter 3:4) is noticeable in the way that I react in difficult situations.

God is calling me to persevere, and it has a lot to do with the faith and trust I have in God. Do I really believe that His promise is real? That He is trustworthy? If I don't stand firm in that, then my witness to who Christ is and why He died and then rose seems to be shaken. But Matthew tells us that our God and His promises and kingdom are unshakeable. The lies that charismatically move like smoke into my thoughts are quickly rebuked by truth, but I must stand guard and resist.

"The problem of pain is that it hurts," and to live without pain is to not be alive.