Numb

Does it ever feel like it would just be easier to not care anymore? I know I’ve felt like that. It would just be easier to cut those areas/people/events out of your life, and feel numb to pain. I mean, as we already know, it is impossible to feel joy without pain, but have you ever just wanted to be numb to it all? 

I think it is important to remember that it is a terrible thing never feel pain, no matter how truly hard and heart wrenching it is in the moment, it is not adequately describable. But, it is so vital to our eternal character, so where pain isn't fun, it isn't something I would recommend intentionally seeking out, pain has some great teaching moments. 

There is this rare disorder called “congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis” or CIPA, which has been on my mind as of late. Basically, it means that the different pain pathways don’t work in the people with this condition. And, sadly, that means that they usually wear out their bodies by the age of 8. Half of the people with this condition, shown here, die by the age of three. There are some great videos and articles out there, so if you’re interested just search those terms.

We want to be happy, and we want to be free from pain. We just usually choose the wrong path to get us there. We have the truth, we have the light and the way to get us to eternal and true happiness. It just happens to lead us first, through a life of pain, to teach us, to help us to grow and to become who we truly are. Now we just need to remember that though the pathway leads through pain, it is for a small moment. It hurts now but pain has an end. And, it also acts as a catalyst to get us where we need to go, shaping us into who we can be for eternity.

Life is Pain, Highness

People tend to forget, outside of the moment, what the phrases 'It will be hard,' 'life is difficult,' and that the phrase "this will hurt" truly mean, and that they are quite accurate. And then, that moment comes, and they want to give up, because it is so hard.

I do this...frequently. It doesn't make a ton of sense really, yet, it is so easy to forget.

I know I tend to trivialize pain, hurt, and the general trials of life, until they come. THEN I tend to exaggerate them, unconsciously, because my focus goes entirely inward, how I'm hurting, how life's unfair, how could this happen to me?

Well, I'm here to remind myself that pain is real.

Pain Hurts. Pain Scars. And Pain Ends.
Then, it comes back in a new form.

This post isn't written with the idea that "Life is pain, highness" but, to an extent, it is. I hate it when I feel like my pain is trivialized. It is deeply meaningful to me and I feel like that should matter to the people I share it with.

Life is going to hurt more than you can possibly imagine right now. You know enough. You are strong enough, when you turn to Christ. There is something worth fighting for.

Don't give in to the appealing "easy way." There isn't an Easy Button. It is ok that it hurts. It is ok that you really are crying. It is ok that everything feels wrong, directionless, and impossible.

Hold on to whatever level of faith you can manage, and move forward through the pain. Then, when you get out, don't forget what it taught you. Let the refining fire change you into something better, something that can remember, that the pain helped shape your eternal character. Removing your imperfections is a painful process, and it is going to take awhile my friend. Sorry about that. You'll get there, and you'll be glad you did.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Are your moods correlated with the weather? Sometimes I think the weather is a better descriptor of my mood than a mood ring <--song on YouTube, unrelated to post. And For the record, I am not currently in a storm, but I have in the past noticed a strong correlation ;)

Why is the rain symbolic of sadness? Is it the similarity of rain drops and tear drops? Probably. Why are we depressed when we learn it is going to rain? Ok. Maybe you are not, but I hear it a lot, from different people, and feel the same way often. 

I think it is really interesting, because not only do we need the change to rain to appreciate the sun light, we also desperately need the rain to be just what it is, rain. It cleanses and helps the world grow and recover. 

We need rain and we need trials and sadness. Not just so we can appreciate the good times, but to help us become aware of ourselves, to help us remember what matters most and to realign ourselves with it.

So, yes. Maybe it is metaphorically and literally storming inside and outside of your heart. Let it. Let yourself feel the power of the storm and remember there is a God who not only is in complete control, but who loves you so much that He promises that the storm will end and you will be so much stronger because of it.

For the record, there is a ton of gorgeous pictures of rain. I have been reading up on copyright law, so I took them down. Sorry.