Life often communicates to us in subtle ways, one of which is through pain. You see, pain is an information bearer. The information can be captured as either leave or let go, and change or grow. It’s however unfortunate that many spend significant hours of their lives praying against this treasure. Just as Dostoevsky said, “Pain and Suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart.” Any man who will be great must know pain.
In Genesis, Jacob traveled with all his sons and wives to Egypt, owing to the famine. This was in spite of God’s instruction not to dwell there permanently in view of the Promise Land. Nevertheless, they did. They enjoyed and filled their days until a day came. A wicked Pharoah who knew not Joseph came, and brought down chaos.
Interestingly, the universe (God if you like) let’s them feel the pain, for that was the only way they would cry. They cried. God heard them, and sent Moses to rescue them. The point is, without the pain, they wouldn’t have cried, and without the tears, Moses wouldn’t have come. In short, pain was necessary to move them away from Egypt, and start them on a journey to the Promised Land.
More so, when Moses demanded the release of Gods people—for worship and for the fulfillment of destiny, Pharaoh refused. Through Moses, God wrought 10 plagues in Egypt before acceding to his demand. Pharoah would never have let them go without experiencing pain, especially the pain attributed to the demise of his heir. Again, Pharoah needed pain to do the will of God.
Pain attempts to shift us from slavery—no matter how dignified, to the Promised Land—where God predestined for us. Hence, to avoid pain is to avoid change and the adventure that comes along with it.
Unfortunately, we cling to the source of our pain, refusing to let it go. We refuse to modify, and seek to run away, instead of fixing. We choose to endure and live unfulfilled lives, when we should walk away.
We must learn to listen to our pain, and hear what it has to tell us. Only then will we unravel the mystery behind our lives and move forward—nobly, towards the highest good conceivable.