Isaac Brown looks like any other five year old boy. He’s learning to read, do basic math, and all of the other things a boy his age would do. But all is not what it seems… because Isaac lacks what so many of us take for granted… the ability to feel pain. He can unflinchingly touch a hot stove, break a bone without knowing it, or step on broken glass. He knows that when he sees blood, it’s not a good thing… and he needs to seek help. This extremely rare genetic condition, if not kept under watchful eye, could lead to accidental death or disfigurement due to the lack of a built-in survival mechanism.
Ironically, many in the world envy his circumstances…. they would love to go 24 hours without a single bit of pain. And not just physical pain… people want to block out emotional and relational hurt as well. What they fail to realize is that pain is useful. When we touch a hot stove, the nerve endings signal the brain to remove the hand… thus preserving the skin and our health. That pain has a purpose. And no matter how badly you hurt today… yours does too. Maybe you find yourself going through some other type of pain… a breakup… a loss… a memory of someone who used to abuse you… I want to challenge you to think of that pain differently today. James tells us in Chapter 1, verse 2, that our pain should be a source of joy. Joy? We should be happy when things hurt? Why? Because we know three things: God will walk with us through that pain, we will grow as a result of hurting, and that our experience will help others in similar situations in the future. So today, don’t just wish for the pain to subside… ask God to help you leverage it for growth… knowing that it is through our deepest hurts that our greatest and most life-changing lessons are learned.
