Productive Pain

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not…. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:3 & 5

We have all heard the phrase “No pain, no gain” and most of the time that phrase conjures up the image of being sore after exercising. But are there other times when pain brings with it some other kind of gain? A friend of mine recently had surgery and is experiencing what she called “Productive Pain.” You see she knows that the pain of surgery and recovery will lead to feeling better.

There are lots of different kinds of pain, physical, emotional, spiritual. The loss of a loved one, the betrayal of a friend, the loss of a job or home, an injury or illness all cause pain. Some pain can easily be described as “productive” while other kinds of pain leave us asking: Why? or What could I have done differently? I tried to figure out what can be gained by these experiences and I discovered there are no easy answers – is there something to be gained by the painful experiences in life? Yes. Are we going to “get it” in this life time? Not necessarily.

Here is what I know for sure - we are never alone in our pain. Someone else has experienced it, may be experiencing it right now and Jesus also understands – He has been there too. Loss of a loved one – John the Baptist was his cousin. Betrayal of friends – Judas sold him out for money and Peter denied knowing Him when the chips were down. Jesus witnessed the injustices of this world and I would say suffered the most “Productive Pain” ever experienced. His beating and death on the cross and resurrection is the pain that allows us to go to Him with our pain and find peace, comfort and rest.

A prayer
Father – thank you that you understand the pain we experience, thank you that Your Son Jesus was willing to endure the productive pain of your plan to bring us back into Your family. You know that we don’t like pain so we ask for the comfort and peace You offer us. In the name of Jesus, Amen.