Pain

pain is a powerful thing. it can change you physically and mentally. most days i experience some kind of pain in my knees, back, hips, shoulders, elbows, wrists and/or hands. i don't enjoy it. pain changes who i am and the person i want to be. it affects my moods - causing me to be grumpy and irritable. it depresses me. it turns my strength into weakness and tires me to the bone. pain can take you over if you let it.

on occasion, however, i am thankful for my pain. the pain in my hips and knees when i walk reminds me that if i had taken better care of myself i wouldn't be in this position. it nips at me to keep going even when i want to stop. it's the enemy, forcing me to march as if at gunpoint, screaming "if you don't move now you will pay later!"

and then there are the days that pain is my friend. when my hands hurt while brushing my teeth, typing, using silverware or the millions of other things you use your hands for, it reminds me of Jesus. i picture his hands nailed to the cross as he hung there. i close my eyes and imagine the agony. and then i say to myself, "he endured that for ME." he didn't cry out, he didn't whine or complain. he simply asked God to forgive us.

after visualizing this my pain usually decreases. call it the power of positive thinking or whatever you want. could i have done what Jesus did? never! but to be able to turn the negativity of pain into a positive - a reminder of who i serve and why - yes, that's a powerful thing.