When the Pain Falls

It is with sincere apologies to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that I start this column off with a play-on-words from a well-known line in his poem, “The Rainy Day.” It is an indisputable fact that “into each life some PAIN must fall.” We cannot escape the reality of human suffering and pain in this present, temporal world. Even God’s perfect Son, Jesus Christ, endured intense pain during His time on earth. No one gets through this pilgrimage of life without experiencing some measure of pain.

Pain takes on many forms and is the result of multiple causes. Common to every person is the experience of physical pain. It varies in intensity from mere bumps and bruises to immense suffering and excruciating pain. Yet just as real, and sometimes even more devastating, is the problem of emotional and psychological pain. Often, this type of pain is more difficult to treat and cure than a physical malady. Emotional wounds can be very deep-seated, requiring years of therapy to overcome. For many people, the hidden scars from their past are the most troubling.

We all experience some degree of pain as a result of accidents or injures. This is just a reality of life. However, the most difficult hurts to deal with and to overcome are those that were deliberately inflicted upon us, or upon someone that we love. Intentional injuries are hard to forgive and forget. There is no easy explanation for why some people seem to endure more hardships than others, but the truth remains that we all will have periods in our lives of sorrow and suffering.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote: “Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed?” (Jer. 15:18). God’s reply to the prophet’s lament gives us hope in our own struggles with pain. “For I am with you to save you and deliver you…I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.” (Jer. 15:20-21). Just as we all share the common experience of pain, we also have available to us the common cure for our suffering. No matter what type of pain you are enduring, or the cause of your particular problem, the Great Physician is always on call to respond to your need!

Serving in love,

Bro. Jim