What’s the value of pain?

In fact, what’s the value of pain when you don’t even know what’s causing it?

1. Pain results from nerve endings.
   • When a child puts his hand close to a fire, the child would naturally withdraw his hand because the pain he felt was real. The fire sent a signal through the nerves saying, “This hurts. You don’t want to go any further. You are safer to retreat your hand.”
2. Pain is just as relevant related to emotional nerve endings.
   • An elderly lady once heard me express some pain that went back to my childhood, and the first thing she told me was, “You were hurt. It was genuine. You have every right to feel hurt.” Emotional health can be just as important as physical health, and understanding the relevance can be very important to how you frame your circumstances.
3. Pain is what we were created to feel.
   • When we hurt, it’s important that we let ourself hurt and not bury that pain, but rather listen to what it has to tell us. When you feel something, beating yourself up can only worsen what’s already going on. If a person is bleeding profusely, loathing himself instead of going to the hospital can only prolong and intensify the consequences.
4. Pain caused from the unknown is still valuable.
   • Just because you can’t pinpoint why you feel a certain way doesn’t negate the value of what is going on. It’s a driving force that can lead you to good conclusion even if you never understand the source of what drove you in the first place. Disillusionment doesn’t have to mean discouragement. In fact, a certain acceptance of disillusionment can lead to bravery, and thus you’ll find freedom in moving forward.

If you find yourself with a big question mark in the midst of your pain, you’re not alone. Matthew 27:46, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” And yet, if we put our faith in God, there’s a unity with him on the other side of whatever you’re going through.