Pain has a purpose!
Suffering and pain are synonymous and it’s something we can’t avoid. It’s a part of life; it’s part of the personal growth process. It’s a journey and certainly not linear (not a straight path). There is good and bad pain. Good pain has a purpose; bad pain does not. For example, allowing yourself to be in any type of an abusive relationship is not good pain; It does not add purpose to your life; in fact, it takes away purpose. On the other hand, having the courage to face and deal with emotional/mental (thoughts) wounds, relational hurts, failures, sins are good pain. Why? Because it’s purposeful; we can learn and grow from it, becoming better versions of ourselves, thus becoming all God intended us to be! I want to encourage that as you go through the good pain, don’t give up on your faith. 1 Peter 5:10 states “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (ESV). As you maintain your faith as you work through the good pain, you will come out on the other side, having been refined like silver, tested like gold, looking more like Jesus. After all, isn’t this our goal to look and be more like Christ?
Shanda Y. Smith, PhD., LMFT