The Preparation of Pain

Pain. None of us like it. None of us want to talk about it or think about it, much less dwell on it. Mostly, we want to ignore it. We do what we need to in order to avoid it. Both physical pain and emotional pain alike. I have made many choices in my life in order to avoid pain, rather than as a pursuit of what I really wanted. If there was a risk of getting hurt, my default was to avoid.

What if we try to think about pain differently? What if we consider the preparation of pain. I have yet to go through a painful process that did not lead to something better. What is ahead of us is always greater than what is behind us but we can’t stop looking back. We are so concerned with that is over our shoulder that we often miss what is right in front of us.

Take chances friends. Put yourself out there. You have a 100% success rate at surviving hard things. You can get through this season, and I promise what is on the other side is better. It always is. The next season of your life will require a new version of you. Becoming a new version of yourself is incredibly painful. So, so painful…but man is it worth it.

So here’s the challenge. Stop avoiding pain. Stop dodging choices so that you stay safe. Success doesn’t come from the sidelines, you’ve got to get off the bench. Letting fear or avoidance drive your choices doesn’t lead to a better life, it just leads to a safer, more sheltered one. All I know for sure is, the most beautiful things in life don’t grow without a little rain. It takes all seasons of life for beauty to emerge. Put yourself out there friends, if you get hurt, you will survive. And…you just might get everything you’ve ever wanted. We get what we prepare for and we cannot be prepared for the good without going through some hard things. Shift your focus and embrace the rainy season, this is where true growth happens.