Good can sometimes come out of our pain
"With pain you will give birth."
- Genesis 3:16 (NIV)
Years ago, I stood in front of a group of pregnant women and proclaimed the popular statement, "No pain, no gain." These women were there to learn techniques to reduce their pain in childbirth. They didn't want to hear that they would have to endure pain.
As a nurse childbirth educator, I knew there was no way to have a pain-free birthing experience. Pain can be reduced or managed, but it won't be totally eliminated. (Unless the pain is altered by medications; but this also exposes mom and baby to possible side effects.)
So, there's no easy way out. However, pain can be effectively reduced with proper education and understanding how to manage it.
Similarly, life's emotional pain can be used as a steppingstone to progress. Right now, many people, including myself, are enduring hardships. Some of our hardships are due to wrong choices made, while others are simply the result of unforeseen life circumstances.
Standing by the side of women giving birth, the advice usually is "relax." I've heard this told to them by medical professionals. The more we resist the pain of healing or birthing, the more intense the effect of the pain becomes and the longer the delivery process will take.
When we relax, the muscles in our bodies can't tense up and the blood flows through each muscle more freely, thus, helping to reduce the physical pain.
When we relax in our emotions and resist the mental anguish, the more levelheaded we become. We can think things through with clarity.
Staying cool, calm and collected isn't always easy to do when going through a painful experience. It's the last bit of advice we want to hear. And it doesn't mean we shouldn't try to alleviate pain, or go through a healthy process of grieving. It just means there are healthier ways to help diminish emotional and physical pain.
If we remember pain is a signal that something needs attention, then know the process to overcome it will bring some gain.
Sometimes pain brings forth good things. New moms gain the child they desired. Others gain wisdom and insight when going through an emotionally painful experience. Putting forth painful effort to achieve a goal can help us birth our dreams.
But, sometimes, when pain is due to some horrendous circumstance and there's no easy explanation, all we can do is lean on God to help us find comfort and healing. God is our best pain reliever. He doesn't cause it, but he can help birth something new from it.
• Annettee Budzban is an author, speaker, life coach and nurse. She is available to speak to your church group, business, civic organization or be your personal life coach. She can be contacted at Annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.