Pain: Love/Hate Relationship

Pain hurts. That’s one of the best ways to describe it. No matter what may be the reason behind it, you know it when you feel it. Pain is something that we all have experienced both physically and emotionally. Every time you experience it, you know that something is or has happened. Over the years I have developed a love/hate relationship for it. There have been moments when I have embraced it and wanted more of it. There have also been moments when it seemed as if it destroyed me. In my opinion, emotional pain is worse than physical pain. At least I can do something about the physical to bring some relief. When it comes to pain, there are moments when I want more of it. There are times I’m praying to take it from me. As we go through life, we will experience it in many different forms.

Pain is my friend. I absolutely love it. There is a thin line between pain and pleasure and I walk it every time I’m in the gym. When I feel pain in the gym, then I KNOW that something is at work. In those moments, pain is telling me that my body is changing. My muscles are getting stronger. Weakness is trying to find a way to escape my body. Pain is a driving force for me. As much as I hate the feeling of disappointment from a failed lift attempt, it makes me work harder to get stronger. I have a memory of that feeling that motivates me and keeps me going. Some of the greatest pains you go through will birth the greatest joys in your life. On the other side, you almost forget what you had to go through. The emotional pain of not being able to do what you want to do in life has driven so many of us to venture out and work on our gifts and talents. The discomfort of being in a situation and knowing that there is more to life than where I am now pushes me. This pain, I embrace. This pain, I do not mind experiencing every day until something changes. If I’m going to go through this pain, I will get a reward on the other side. 

Pain is my enemy. Unfortunately, there are moments in life when things happen that hurt us to our core that are challenging to overcome. How do you heal from the pain of losing someone close to you? How do you handle the pain of seeing someone you love laying in a hospital bed and you cannot do anything to help them? It hurts you to the point that all you can do is cry. My wife was in the hospital for an entire month before our daughter was born. She will never know how many tears I cried during that time. This is the type of pain that none of us want to experience. I cannot sit here and tell you that you will ever one hundred percent get over something like this, and that is ok. I know it’s hard, but we must get through it. Even in situations like these, we can someway somehow get something positive on the other end. Getting through this pain may allow us the opportunity to comfort someone who went through the exact same thing. Your pain can help start their healing process.

Pain is both my friend and my enemy. It comes in many forms throughout this life. If you listen to what it is telling you in that moment it could point you in the right direction. Certain pains cause us to become better in life. Other pains may point us to the doctor. Either way, it’s there. It will always be here. No matter what pain you experience, get a reward for it. Turn it into something.