These four words made my world come crashing down around me during Stake Conference, a regional church meeting. The speaker said these words, "pain is a gift," and it shattered my reality. I have constant pain. Pain that makes me incapable of moving somedays and bawling in the fetal position on the other days. In the very least, my pain is the dull aching reminder at the end of the day that I can't ever forget. How is this supposed to be a gift?!
I understand that the speaker was making a great analogy between pain and the Gospel. It went something like this: leprosy is a disease where the pain nerves die off. So the reason that lepers look diseased or like their skin will fall off is because they can't feel pain to take care of their body. So pain is good to let people know that they need help to take care of their body. So pain of guilt or shame or sorrow in a way is something that is good because it promotes us to seek healing. And preferably the healing will come from the one true balm, our Savior Jesus Christ.
But my pain never stops. It's hard. And very few, other than Christ, understand. I guess my pain is a gift: A very serious and very real push towards my Savior.
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