Pain VS Suffering.
Are you in Pain or are you Suffering? What’s the difference, you ask? Well I say there is a BIG difference! Pain I understand, Suffering I don’t.
Don’t get me wrong, I am by no means a proponent of pain, but I do believe there is some wisdom in the saying “No pain, No gain.”
Growing up in a strict catholic home “suffering” was always touted as a virtue especially since Jesus went through all that trouble and got himself crucified for us! Even as a small child I wasn’t really sure about Jesus and his “suffering”.
If your feathers are getting ruffled, indulge me for a moment and read on:
I recently received an e-mail from Mort Fertel with this story in it.
There once was a man who was sentenced to 25 years of backbreaking labor. His wrists were tied to the handle of a huge wheel that was inlaid in the wall. His job was to turn the wheel 10 hours a day.
For years, day in and day out, the prisoner would wonder what he was doing with this wheel. What was the meaning of his work? What was on the other side of this wall? Was he grinding grain? Pulling up water? Moving some sort of conveyer belt?
For 25 years he contemplated the meaning of his work, and for 25 years he spun that wheel. It was grueling, but he survived.
When his sentence was complete he was released from prison. The first thing he did was run to the other side of the wall to see what he had been doing all this time.
What did he see?
Nothing!
There was nothing attached to the wheel. For 25 years, 10 hours a day, he was spinning a wheel
for absolutely no purpose. When the man realized his true sentence, he collapsed and died.
The prisoner was able to survive 25 years of backbreaking labor, but when he realized that it
was all for nothing, he couldn't survive for another moment.
Pain has a purpose.
Suffering is true torture because it has no meaning.
Pain is bearable. Suffering for no reason is devastating
I believe that if Jesus knew that his pain had a purpose, somehow he knew something wonderful would come of it. Jesus was a smart man, had he not known, he would have said “game over” and gone home. Jesus knew that his pain was for something wonderful. Are you in Pain or are you Suffering?
If you are in a painful situation right now, what is its purpose? What is the BIG picture? What are you hoping to attain? If you can answer these questions and be satisfied with your answers, know that you are on a path, and that you will be successful
If you are suffering for no reason, if there is no purpose, if you believe you are simply being tortured for no reason, why continue? Could it be time for you to say “GAME OVER!”, and walk away?
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