No pain no gain

by | Jan 12, 2011 | 2011 | 0 comments

I was about sixteen at the time when a friend and I had a brainwave. In a moment of absolute clarity it dawned on us that what we needed to do was go to the gym.

You see I was overweight and he was very tall, scrawny and wore spectacles. Each of us had our own idea as to what this magical place called ‘gym’ could do for us – I had visions of sporting a six pack with olive tanned skin (have no idea why I had to be tanned) and I am sure in his mind he was to become the next Jean Claude van Damme (remember this was the nineties).

So with these images in mind we set off to join the gym. The first day we did what most boys at that age did – we tried to see who could bench press the most, but while we were trying to outdo each other the aerobics instructress walked past on her way to give a class. Man alive…this woman was gorgeous! She had all the curves in all the right places, and being sixteen we picked our jaws off the floor and immediately rushed to sign up for the class.

In our minds the plan was foolproof. We would take the class, jump around a bit, and all the while have ring-side seats to ogle her without coming off as perverts…unfortunately we did not notice that she was giving the advanced aerobics class.

The class started with lots of smiles and encouragement for the new members, but very quickly spiralled into absolute hell. It was hard to keep up the façade of being cool when every muscle in your body was screaming at you. Sweat was pouring down my face, burning my eyes. My breathing became wheezy and labored and worst of all, that beautiful instructress had turned into a dungeon master who was torturing me.

All of a sudden I was not thinking of the instructress any more but rather focusing on not collapsing and embarrassing myself. I had heard some of the body builders use the phrase “no pain no gain” and so I started chanting it in my head to help me through.

Valuable lessons

After what felt like weeks had gone by, the session was finally over. I was exhausted, felt dehydrated and sore and did not care about looking at the instructor at all; I was just so relieved that I did not collapse.

Yet through the pain and torture, I learned a couple of very valuable lessons, one of which was realizing that being unfit and joining an advanced class to ogle a woman was not a good idea.

But the class had made a difference…we joined the beginner classes and ended up getting pretty fit and we felt good about what we had accomplished.

But none of the lessons would have been learned if what I had to go through was really easy. If I had not suffered I would not have learnt these lessons and would have kept on objectifying this poor woman to feed some stupid fantasy that I had. If there was no pain there would have not been any gain!

Let’s look at pain

For the most part, physical and emotional pain is there to warn us. When we hurt, the pain that we feel intensifies as our injuries get worse, sending a clear message that if we don’t change the situation we could damage ourselves indefinitely. Through personal experience I can attest to the fact that burning my hand has always brought the message home much clearer than having someone else warn me that putting my hand in a flame will hurt.

What is the spiritual Purpose of pain?

“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him (Luke 12:4-5)”

Luke is trying to tell us here that there is more at stake than just physical pain and suffering. We often forget that there is a battle raging for our souls. Satan does not stand by idly and wait and hope that we will deny Christ. No, he actively pursues us. He tries to change us to his likeness and tries to corrupt us.

Sometimes the only way we grow is when we suffer. The apostle Paul says the following: “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us (Romans 3:3-5).”

So does God send the pain?

Some might read this article and say to themselves…” See, God is the author of all pain and strife.” We must not be fooled! One of the major reasons for pain and suffering in this world is because humans inflict it on one another – it is the choices we make that cause pain. It is humans who wage the wars that kill thousands. We are the ones that destroy the ozone layer and complain when the rain does not come. We are the ones that rape, kill and steal.

Another major reason stems from the choices that Adam and Eve made. Due to the fall of man, sin was introduced into the world, corrupting a creation that was perfect and in balance. Disease entered the world and so life started becoming more and more difficult for humans. From the very beginning in the Garden of Eden God instructed Adam and Eve about the way they should go, but ultimately it was their choice. In Deuteronomy 30:19 God’s exhortation is to ‘choose life’” (See also Joshua 24:15, Proverbs 1:29-33, Luke 10:42).

But why doesn’t God just take it all away? Surely he should if he really cares for us?

In order for God to do that, he would have to take away free will, he would have to force the individual to submit to his authority and that would defeat the entire purpose behind giving man the freedom to choose

Once again the issue here is not your physical life but your eternal soul.

You got to roll with the punches

As we can see, there are many reasons why there is pain in the world. The person with a brain tumor did not necessarily, through their own actions, cause the tumor, but they still have to live with the pain that it can cause. Whether the pain is caused due to our own actions or external factors, the choices that we are faced with are always the same: choose to trust in God and let him help us through, giving us the opportunity to grow spiritually in the process, or succumb to the fear that it can cause.

Pain the great teacher

Although we fail to admit it to ourselves, almost all the valuable lessons that we have learnt in our lives have been learnt when we have had to suffer or endure pain or trials. These trials have made us better people… people whom God can work with.

CS Lewis once wrote: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains.”

I have often found in my life that it is only when confronted with trials or pain that I really repent, that I really start making changes in my life. When things go too well, it is easy to forget God and ignore his prompting.

You see, no matter what the cause of the trial or pain, God can use our weaknesses to do the most amazing things. I remember my aunt talking to me two weeks before she eventually succumbed to cancer. She pulled me to one side and said the most amazing thing to me. She said, “Shaun, I am so thankful for what God has given me in these last months. He has blessed me richly. I can die happy now that he has given me the opportunity to mend all the fences that I have broken.”

My aunt, when faced with cancer, used it as an opportunity to do the things she had always wanted to and to mend the relationships that had been damaged. Faced with death, she understood that the relationships that we have on this earth are what really matter, and she made an effort to fix them. Not only that, but she gave me one of the strongest testimonies to the power of Christ in our lives.

God reassures us that he will always be there for us. In Hebrews 13:9 and in Deuteronomy 31:8 we read: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Conclusion

We need to change the way that we look at suffering and pain. It does not matter what the source of the pain is, but rather that it is an opportunity to grow and that Christ will never leave us nor forsake us. The trials and tribulations we face and the pain we have to endure is vital for our spiritual growth.

No pain no gain!

 

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