Purpose of pain I - Teaching of Jan 30 2009

This semester, I am taking a military science class. It is an exercise class with the ROTC, and they really, really push you. Push ups, sit ups, running and much, much more. It is difficult, and intense and often painful.

Now I am going to look at this class from the POV of my body:
First, I am not a morning person. I often work late into the night and wake up later in the morning. However, for me to get to class at 6am, my alarm clock is set for 5:20 am. Every morning, my body grumbles.

Secondly, like I said earlier, the class is tough. Some of the instructors have been to Iraq. They are real soldiers. By the end of the class, even the cadet or recruits or reserves (whatever they are called), they are tired too. Their exercise routines target every single part of your body. By then end of the hour, your legs feel like jelly, your arms hurt, your tummy is screaming – Pain everywhere.

My body does not like this. At all. And it tells me so loud and clear by the pain. The muscles that are rarely used, now being forced to wake up from their slumber – they complain loudly – painfully. So it was that after the first full of week of hard exercise, I could barely do anything. It hurt to stand, hurt to sit. I just hurt period.

Now, I have two options – I could say “Ow, I hurt!!” and quit. Or, I could ask myself “why did I join this class in the first place?”, and then work through the pain.
So why did I join the class? Because I want to be healthy and fit. And I want to still be able to run when I am 60 years of age. My body might hate me now, but it will thank me then because “ceteris paribus” I will be healthier than most people because of my habits of several decades before. Good diet and consistent exercise is good for you – period.

My body does not know this however, so now it complains! The funny thing is , if I don’t quit and I work through the pain, eventually, my body gets used to the new level of activity, and actually, starts to crave it.

Anyone ever heard of the RUNNER’s high? Why do you think people who run love running? Eventually when you run, you get to a point where you get into this groove, you feel this emotional high. It’s a good feeling. I have felt it before.
Bottomline – push through the pain, and your screaming body will adjust, and even start to crave what it used to hate.

What does this have to do with Christianity? What is the purpose of the Christian walk ?

Eph 4:11-16
11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Romans 8:28-29
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Now, if we believe today’s Pentecostal preachers, both home and abroad, you would think that the purpose of our faith is to be prosperous, wealthy and blessed. No pain, no trouble, no obstacles – that GOD’s purpose is to make sure that our lives are problem free, easy, painless.

That is at worst a lie from the pits of hell, and at best an incomplete gospel. When you believe that your life is meant to be easy, it makes it really hard for you to cope when hardship comes – and I mean when – not if. Because hardship WILL come – to build your character.

Like my body screaming at exercise, you will also scream at hardship – unless you can see the full picture, unless you can understand that GOD is doing a work in you. I cannot understand the thinking anyways. When we talk about physical things, we understand that they are meant to be hard – you exercise hard to get the body you want (Madonna – 4 hrs a day!). You work hard to get any kind of advanced degree (we all in school rite?) Why do we think that the spiritual life should be easy? Why?


Bottomline – what is the purpose of pain? To build character, discipline, and trust in GOD – despite, not because.
To be absolutely clear, some pain we will never understand. But others will make sense by and by.

And this is the way we must think about life:

2 Cor 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

For example – it takes a lot of pain to get an advanced degree – deferred income (grad students are broke), sleepless nights, many lonely hours in the office, lots of studying! Why do we do it – Because you know that someday you are gonna graduate, and the light affliction will lead to glory.

More concrete examples in the bible: We will look at them this semester – How GOD built character through pain – Joseph, Moses, David. Their stories are among my very favorites in the bible. GOD uses them to speak to me all the time. I pray that they will speak to you too.