Genesis chapter three promises us all something that we each get to experience in various ways; pain. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, the promise that God made to them begin to come to pass. Death entered the human race and with it we all would experience a life marked by pain. Eve was promised that in pain and sorrow she would bear children. Adam was promised the pain of thorns and thistles as he worked to provide food, shelter, and protection for his family. Our experiences match up with our first parents. No matter the technological advances, pain and death remain.
The natural response to pain, whether it be physical, emotional, or even spiritual, is to seek relief and comfort. We all seek to self-medicate to deal with the pain that we endure. These Ƶpain-relieversƵ vary. But no matter the choice a person makes, what we easily recognize is that the pain returns. Pain is the bodyƵs signal that something is wrong. When I was seventeen years old, a fever and pain in my right side triggered an emergency room visit with an appendectomy that same night. There was relief from the pain of appendicitis but there was also pain in the recovery from surgery. In order to live, one pain often is swapped for another.
Pain is indeed a signal that something is not right. The pain that we experience in this life should teach us an important lesson. Within the heart of every single person is the idea that pain should not be a part of our experience. When pain comes our way, we treat it like an enemy as we should. We avoid it whenever possible. But we should ask what larger lesson pain is seeking to teach us. The larger lesson is that we all desire a perfect reality where pain no longer exists and death is done away with. What we are all seeking is genuine comfort, lasting relief from the pain we experience and endure.
I have good news and bad news. Let me give you the bad news first. Not a single person escapes the reality of pain in this world. As long as this world continues in its present condition, pain is part of the experience. No matter our faith or religion, pain remains. But there is good news. God has sent a redeemer, His Son Jesus Christ, and He endured the cross and rose again on the third day to provide eternal salvation for all who would have faith in Him. Part of the promise of salvation in Christ is that this world one day will be made new and pain will be a thing of the past. True and lasting comfort is reserved for those who trust in Christ.
Martin Luther stated that he had two days on his calendar; today and that day. That day is the day of final judgement when the righteous will shine forth and death and Hades is cast into the Lake of Fire. The promise to those who trust in Christ is found in Revelation 21:4. Stop and read that great and glorious promise. In the meantime, we will experience pain. But one day, true and genuine comfort will be known and experienced in the presence of the Savior.
In the interim, today trust in Jesus Christ who also promised to be with us through the Holy Spirit who is our comforter. Trust Him even in your pain. Trust Him knowing that our pain in this life causes us to long for Heaven and begins the process of helping us not love this world that is so marked by pain.Ƶ