THE NATURE OF PAIN

My friend Dale has written some wonderful words. I have encouraged him to create his own blog. You will see why when you read his wise words:

THE NATURE OF PAIN

Physical pain tells you not to do something again. Get your hand off the stove! What you are doing will cause scars. You have reached your limit exercising. You have stretched that muscle or joint far enough. Pain is good. It protects us from physical self-destruction.

Emotional pain works along the same lines but is much more complex. It warns us of damage to the soul or to the psyche. Narcissistic injury can last a lifetime. If we could see our damaged souls, we would be amazed that most of us are in psychological wheelchairs. Our wounds are deep and grievous.

A broken bone heals in about six weeks. A broken heart takes decades. Be careful how you treat others. Be careful about your own vulnerabilities. A single word can crush the soul like a falling boulder crushes the body. The flippant words of our current world are bullets in disguise. You will need some armor.

Emotional pain blinds us to our own actions. Everyone acts out in one way or another from it. Sometimes it becomes a lifetime script. Worse yet, we try to "correct" these people by adding more pain to their lives (which makes as much sense as throwing gasoline on a fire).

If we could see our souls as we see our bodies, we would be horrified at the wounds, the scars, and the hobbling we have to do just to get through each day. Emotional pain is more contagious than any virus. It spreads itself around in a thousand forms. It even hides in "do-gooder" actions of the condescending. Beware of rescuers that have not dealt with their own wounded-ness. They will "save" you by hurting you even more.

They wanted Jesus to help stone the woman caught in adultery. The disciples wanted him to call fire down on the ones that frustrated their cause. He refused to do such things. Shooting the wounded was just not his style. We kick others to avoid our own pain. The avalanche that follows buries us all.

Lick your emotional wounds with healing self-talk and prayer. Suck it up rather than pass it along. Grieve and go on. Take time off. Avoid the pain-spreaders like you would a terrorist. Take up the crosses that are yours but do not inflict them on others.

Dale Andrews