Verle Bell M.D.
[Originally published as I Love Pain And So Should You]
I recently had a friend with severe long-term diabetes mellitus. The high sugars had destroyed his ability to feel pain. He stepped on a nail and walked around for a while wondering who was getting blood on the rug. By the time he realized the source, he had to have major surgery on his foot.
Did you know that leprosy, Hanson’s disease, does not damage the body directly?
Instead, it robs the person of the ability to feel pain. That’s why they lose their fingers and develop sores all over. They also lose the ability to feel pleasure. They spend enormous time protecting their bodies, while the rest of us pain feelers are running around without that worry because our pain will protect us.
It isn’t enough to know that there is a problem, it has to hurt! We developed gloves for leprosy patients to wear that measured the degree of pressure or length of irritation and warned the person to quit what they were doing damage. But, because it didn’t hurt, they ignored it and lost their fingers from playing the guitar too long. Even worse, what if the nail in the foot made you feel higher than you’d ever felt? Be real, you’d tromp around on nails all day. (I’m referring to crack cocaine or crystal meth or sex with the wrong people etc.)
Just as physical pain is good for us as it
- identifies a problem,
- motivates us to deal with the problem
- motivates us to deal with the residual consequences of the problem
- motivates us to not do the damage again
- allows us to go through life without always double-checking every little thing
- and informs our appreciation of the good things:
even so emotional feelings are a blessing, including fear, anxiety, sadness, anger, hurt, depression, irritation, loneliness, guilt, remorse, etc.
The next time you feel a “bad” feeling, thank God for it, ask him to show you where the nail is, ask for help in dealing with the “nail in the foot,” and ask him to let the pain drive you closer to him.
Take a minute and think of all the pain God got himself into when he decided to love you! Really, it’s OK he thinks you are worth every bit!
My (Paul) sufferings for you, ..fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh. (Colossians 1:24)
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For the sufferings of Christ abound in us. (2 Corinthians 1:5)
That I may know him and the fellowship of his sufferings. (Philippians 3:10)
Put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? (Psalms 56:8)
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. (Hebrews 4:15)
Perhaps my favorite passage of God’s pain-filled love for us is in Hosea 11:8:
How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee, Israel? How shall I make thee as Admah? How shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repenting are kindled together. I will not excuse the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: FOR I AM GOD AND NOT MAN.
