A couple of weeks ago I had oral surgery and one of my main thoughts beforehand was: Yuck, I’m going to be dealing with pain. I had seven gum recessions surgically repaired. It was no small feat. Not a normal day And I’m still feeling the effects of the whole thing.
I mean, it was routine for the surgeon – but not in the least for me. And once the freezing wore off, boy did I feel it. As a rule I’m not fond of taking meds, but I have to say that reaching for the pain-killing anti-inflammatories kept my tribulation at bay.
A gum graft doesn’t sound like anything difficult if you’ve never heard of it before. You might even be imagining gum – chewing gum like Hubba Bubba or Wrigley’s. Nope, this is not that. It’s sort of like having your tonsils out … but on steroids. All over the roof of your mouth and around so many teeth and beyond.
So why am I bringing you into my painful story? Well, because I know that we’ve all had pain, and we try to deal with it best we can. Sometimes we try to avoid it, put it off, ignore it. But here’s the thing: it must be dealt with, pain is always a symptom of something larger.
Pain talks to us and tells us that something isn’t quite right.
Rarely is there a quick fix for real pain. Unless it’s a minimal knee-knock on the coffee table and a quick rub to make it feel better, most life issues don’t fix that easily.
Not all pain is physical. Some of it is emotional. People and systems can let you down, and that can hurt. Relationships that don’t seem to have a remedy, that leave us raw. Spiritual wrestling can leave you tired and feeling exposed. We flounder sometimes. Pain has a lot of faces and skins … like me, I’m sure you’ve felt some. Just being human is the qualifying factor.
Pain talks to us and tells us that something is changing.
During my gum graft recovery I found myself contemplating the kinds of pain that I have had in my life. Some pain happens when we grow. I had growing pains a few times as a kid, and I didn’t love it – but something good came out of it. I was a little taller (which made this super-short kid happy!) and of course the pain stopped after a while. The pain was a natural bi-product of the process of growing.
We also encounter growing pains during our education and our careers, in parenting, or dealing with aging family members. We stretch to accommodate life situations. And the twisting and flexing to support the needs and change can bring pain. No pain, no gain they sometimes say.
Sometimes the outcome of our short term pain can become a story that we don’t mind telling. Like falling out of the tree as a kid and breaking an arm, and having it heal well. Tidy short stories with happy endings. People like to share their victories, most of us enjoy the encouragement from other’s pain-turned-gain type endings.
But what about dealing with pain that doesn’t go away easily – or at all?
Some of the most incredible faith-building stories of healing from the New Testament are accounts of longstanding illness or torment, and the kind of healing and restoration that Jesus offered them. Healing for ground zero – the deepest place of the pain.
The woman who bled for twelve year and spent all that she had, pursuing doctors and cures that would eliminate her suffering and weakness. She was desperate in her agony. Knowing Jesus was coming through town she pushed her way through the crowds. She wrestled her way through, until she was close enough to touch the edge of His clothing. After so many years of suffering, in that moment she was healed.
Many of us have been in a place where we have had to rely on others to help us be well or strong – and we feel let down. If we ponder the man at the side of the pool of Bethesda, Jesus encounters a lame man in need of healing. This man had laid by the pool for 38 years, waiting for healing. John 5:1-15 tells us, that every time the angel of healing stirred up the pool, he missed his chance to get in and get healed. He told Jesus no one was there to help him lower himself into the water. I feel his frustration.
Dealing with pain: what should we do and how should we do it?
Dealing with pain is one of the most difficult things in life to come to terms with. Whether it’s sickness or relationship dysfunction – a common thought is: What can I do to relieve this pain? What can I do to heal?
I have seen pain do two things in my life. It shows me the core issues in my life that I need to pay attention to (and honestly, that’s not a bad thing!), and it shows me my weaknesses that result from pain. Both things remind me to reach out for God, His healing Presence and Power. Every story of healing and breakthrough that scripture retells has these elements.
When I’m dealing with pain, I find myself identifying with the Apostle Paul who asked the God to remove ‘the thorn in his flesh’. Scripture tells us he asked three times for God to take the painful circumstance away. Wow.
God’s Grace. God’s Power.
In 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NLT we read this: Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul is one of my heroes. His perspective on pain helps me re-frame what I am going through. He helps me re-invite Jesus into the painful space and work His healing into me – body, soul, mind and spirit. And also to encourage myself to see the value of courage and patience while God’s strength carries me in the meantime, until the breakthrough.
In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years. Isaiah 63:9 (NLT) becomes a profound reality when you pace yourself through pain, and position your heart for healing and breakthrough.
In the middle of it all, God is carrying us.
In the middle of it all, God is carrying us. With tenderness and compassion. His healing, strength and redemption filling up and filling out all that has been lost and hurt.
Hebrews 11 retells the stories of many people who endured pain and difficulty; who held onto that sweet spot in God’s grace, despite what was going on within them and around them.
Well, happy ending to my gum graft story: it’s healing up really well. But, just to balance out my personal story, I am still dealing with pain in other areas of my life.
I never take a healing for granted. Even for something like a cold or the flu. These spur me on to take heart, and know that break through does come. Some areas take a lot longer than others.
But if God is for us, nothing can really take a stand against us and win. And besides, we have an eternity with glorious perfection and wholeness awaiting us. What a beautiful thought.
Love and strength to you,
Jenn
PS. Keep your eyes and ears open for the release of my new book: Hope Breaks Through: Discovering God’s Signs in Your Life. It can be a self-directed or a 30 day journey to uncover personal signs from God for healing, direction and transformation. Details for book purchases will be available here: in Resources & Updates.
Copyright (c) 2020 Jennifer Bryant-Choong. All Rights Reserved.
