Week 34 - Creative Pain

Psalm 126:5 – “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”

One dear friend suffers from constant physical pain.  Another knows the pain of broken relationships, while another is experiencing the pain of seeing her daughter facing serious health issues.  I am currently walking the painful journey of sorrow after the passing of my father.  So, when I read Dr. Owen’s article on Creative Pain, it struck on many chords.  If you are in a painful situation, my prayer is that these thoughts will help to lift a portion of your burden.  Dr. Owen writes:

    Pain manifests itself in so many ways, and in my day-to-day practice as a doctor, it is a frequent challenge for my patients. Pain can be difficult to treat – the nature of it can be elusive and resistant to medication. Sometimes the source of pain cannot be found. Does that lessen the pain the patient feels? Absolutely not. But it demonstrates that pain is not purely a physical phenomenon – it can be a psychological and spiritual entity. It can be the result of pent-up emotion; a physical hurt resulting from mental anguish.

    I remember attending a lecture prior to studying medicine. It was part of a course for A-level students who were interested in pursuing a medical career. One of the physicians boldly announced, ‘Pain is a good thing!’ As someone well acquainted with surgery and chronic pain, I initially scoffed at this statement. Good?! How can that be?!

    Throughout my life so far as a patient, as a doctor, and as a Christian, I have come to learn that he was right. Pain is not a bad thing. By all reasoning then, we should acknowledge that pain is good.

Pain has a purpose

C.S Lewis wrote his much-quoted book ‘The Problem of Pain’ on exactly this subject. As Christians, we struggle to marry up the physical and emotional pain we experience here on earth with the image of a good and loving heavenly Father who seemingly permits it.

Pain becomes a problem; something that separates us from God rather than drawing us closer to Him. We struggle to reconcile the idea that a loving God, who we are told cherishes us dearly, would sit by and watch us endure intense mental, physical, and emotional pain.

    “We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” (C.S Lewis – The Problem of Pain)

    Sometimes, God needs to catch our attention because the world is so full of distraction. Does He enjoy watching us suffer? No, I don’t believe so. But does He ultimately want us to seek Him above all else? Absolutely. And if pain causes us to seek Him, to run to Him – is it worth it?

    It is important to make the distinction between God causing us pain in order to draw us closer to Him, and Him using the pain we experience to gather us under His wings. I don’t believe He takes pleasure in seeing His children suffer. Yet, pain is sometimes necessary for our spiritual wellbeing.

Pain is protective

In a physical sense, pain protects from further harm. If you injure your ankle running, you won’t be back out causing further damage by running on a sprained joint.  Pain stops you from doing that.   If you get chest pain when you exercise too much, your heart is saying ‘Stop!’, and you should seek a doctor’s opinion instead of overworking a malfunctioning heart.

    We don’t enjoy it, we don’t seek it out, but pain is sometimes necessary for our physical wellbeing.

Pain is creative

John 16:21 “ A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.”

    Here, we are taught that from anguish and sorrow come life and joy.

    Not only does pain have a purpose, not only is it protective, but it is creative. Our heavenly Father does not stop at drawing us close to Him and protecting us but loves us enough to create life and joy from our heartaches.

    In her beautiful book “Many Sons unto Glory” Eleanor Vellacot Wood writes in detail about the pain and grief she suffered after her only son, Patric, was reported missing during WW2. He never returned home.

    She writes, “What other solution can there be to this problem of pain, but His?

“The sorrow of the world worketh death!” cries St. Paul (2 Corinthians 7:10) Then, by all the law of reversals, the sorrow of the Christian – creative sorrow – worketh Life! So then, death worketh in us. But Life in you” cries St. Paul again (2 Corinthians 5:12). That was Creative Pain.”

    Creative Pain! Pain that has a purpose – pain from which life and joy are born!

    1 Peter 1:7 “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”

    The Christians of the early church looked on their pain and sorrow as something “more precious than gold.”  The scar of their pain and suffering for Christ was something imperishable; the hallmark by which they were recognised. Gold perishes, he said, but this trial of yours will be found unto glory!

    “It is only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ that our pain may become creative. It is only united with Him that our suffering can leap into life” (E. V. Wood).

    Pain and Christianity appear to belong together: Christ's pain stands at the centre of God's healing; his pain leads to the salvation of mankind (Markshies et al).

    This, surely, is the best example of creative pain. Through the pain of Christ, we can be healed. Through the worst suffering – physically, mentally, and spiritually - that anyone has ever endured, we can be forgiven, redeemed, and secure.

    Isaiah 53:5 “ But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;
the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”

    Rest assured knowing that God loves you and has a purpose for your suffering. That He is using your pain to draw you in closer to Him. That He will bring life and joy from the sorrow you endure. We can be certain of this because pain was at the centre of His plan for us. Through the painful suffering of Christ, we are healed. The scars of your grief, your trials, your pain; give them to God and He will use them to create life and joy.

                                                                                                                                                      Dr. Owen

In my sorrow, God is using Psalm 147:3 “He health the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”  I see Him at work in my heart and all around me as I walk my path.  He truly is the Great Physician!

If you would like some good reading material on pain, I have benefited from:

It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lysa Terkeurst  https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/F000BFFB-3938-47F0-B525-12F6427973D9?store_ref=SB_A05381703K2BITHIP2GE8&pf_rd_p=9420597b-7dad-4cbd-a28d-7d676ac67378&hsa_cr_id=3701452150501&lp_slot=auto-sparkle-hsa-tetris&lp_asins=1400205875,1400205859,1400310296&lp_mat_key=it%27s%20not%20supposed%20to%20be%20this%20way&lp_query=it%27s%20not%20supposed%20to%20be%20this%20way%20terkeurst&sb-ci-n=brandLogo&sb-ci-v=images%2FS%2Fgladiator-image-upload-prod%2F3%2FATVPDKIKX0DER%2Fe3df9f3626b2381d6cab22596e74864f._CR13%2C11%2C446%2C689_SR218%2C200_.png
Don’t Waste Your Sorrows by Paul E. Billheimer  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Don%27t+waste+your+sorrows&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Fully Alive by Susie Larson
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=fully+alive+by+susie+larson&gclid=CjwKCAjw1_PqBRBIEiwA71rmta8Q0MbWwF41-8mtBL7rvR0oIwLhy7-wh2TZ_OlqMAWG7ndHHtVAIxoCGvwQAvD_BwE&hvadid=319199202179&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9023767&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=13932355738976806921&hvtargid=aud-647846986281%3Akwd-589679434739&hydadcr=17809_10948673&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_6tf0nhld70_e

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