Where Does It Hurt?

“So on a scale of one to ten, how would you describe the pain in your knee?”

“Two”

The nurse and I exchanged wide-eyed wonderment. I decided to try a different approach with my mother-in-law:

“Mom, if it’s only a two, then why are we here to get a cortisone shot? I saw your face the last time your knee pained you. That wasn’t a ‘two’ look. Let’s think about this again. I put childbirth at ten. Keeping that in mind, now what number would you give your pain?”

“Okay. An eight then.”

*****

We use the word "pain" in various ways:

“Don’t be such a pain!” “Do you have to be such a pain in the neck?” Ah, yes… that irritating sibling or colleague.

I have been known to say, “Would it pain you so much to…” even though it’s considered an “archaic” phrase. I guess I’m older than I thought. And it “pains me” to have to say that!

But we are also encouraged to “take pains” to do something with great effort and diligence. Some tasks are so exacting that they are “painstaking.”

Physical pain is serious. The year our younger son grew several inches, I watched him crawl in agony up the stairs to his bedroom at the end of the day. His throbbing, aching, and sometimes piercing growing pains were no joke!

The suffering from pain is hard to watch. I could always tell when my friend had one of his migraine headaches. Even though he never complained, the anguish in his eyes broke my heart.

Sometimes there are no medications to ease the pain, to numb it. Those who live with chronic pain have the fear of building up a toleration to pain killers or becoming dependent on them to the point they can’t live a normal life. Pain management clinics attempt to give relief. But in order to avoid addiction, many people suffer through the punishing agony.

Some people seem to tolerate incredible physical pain. Usually my dad would numb someone’s mouth when he was about to do a dental procedure, especially oral surgery. I was shocked when I heard one woman refuse the anesthetic. She then calmly sat through a rather gory session. Of course I was the one who passed out onto the floor from the view to the surgery I was assisting and also from the sympathetic agony I felt for her.

*****

When pain is deep inside, it’s hard to pinpoint the source and find comfort. That’s the emotional pain, the sorrow, the grief and torment that wear us out. As that popular song of long ago said over and over, “It hurts so bad!”

When we can’t get to the root of this pain, when the person can’t even explain the hurt, then we do whatever we can to help bear the pain, the burden, hoping we aren’t the cause of it or aren’t adding to it. Sometimes all we can do is just be there without saying a word.

Legal advocates will try to help juries and judges measure the pain and suffering that have been inflicted on their clients. They speak of fear, insomnia, grief, worry, and the loss of the enjoyment of life. But is it possible to truly calculate someone’s pain and suffering and put a value to it? After all, who can really determine how painful something is for someone else? Will all the money in the world really cure these things?

In Psalm 38 David talks about his "searing pain," the pain that is ever with him. His iniquity. It's the same "incurable pain" in Isaiah 17:11, the pain of sin that seemingly has no remedy. Some have lived so long with sin's pain that they don't even acknowledge they have a problem. But ignoring it isn't the answer.

*****

Our Lord Jesus knew the meaning behind the word pain: payment, punishment, price. He knew how painful that cure for our sin would be. His was the ultimate task of “no pain, no gain.” He realized that without His suffering we would gain nothing.

Isaiah 53 lists all of the physical and mental pain our Lord endured. And yet what did He get from the Judge for all His pain and suffering? Nothing for Himself. Everything for us!

But does God feel pain in His heart? Does it pain God to see how the world rejects Him and His message of grace? It has to. After all, He took the pains to make sure our salvation was complete. The painstaking efforts of His beloved Son. The pain from scourging and crucifixion. The anguish taking on the sins of the whole world that caused my Lord Jesus to sweat blood in Gethsemane.

Of course it pains Him! But that doesn’t stop Him from caring… deeply… completely. He understands pain. And He promises to be there with us in our sorrow and suffering.

My Lord healed those who suffered from severe physical pain (Matthew 4:24). And He promises that when I am finally with Him, face to face, He will wipe away every tear. There will be no more death or grieving or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4).

Too often I pass by that cross without even thinking of the pain my Lord Jesus suffered. Even though I can only imagine His agony, the impact doesn’t always hit me… stay with me. I forget just what a pain I was to Him. And sadly I still can be.

And yet He loves me. And forgives me.

And it’s that forgiveness that restores my joy!

Leaving my guilt at the cross,

Christine