Pain, pain, pain........

At this point in time, having been awake for about two hours in the wee hours in the morn, I think the logical question on everyone's mind is: "Why don't you just pop a few pills and go back to sleep, you idiot??!?"

[Yes, Grace is going back to the subject of PMS, hormones, and period cramps. She might regret her frankness tomorrow when she's had more sleep, but as for this moment here, there is no shame. So if you're a male, get over your squeamishness - this is a reality for more than half the world. And if you're getting really squeamish, hold on to your hat, I'm only going to touch on it briefly.]

So why not pop some pain-killers that'll help me ignore the period cramps, you ask? Well, this is going to sound a bit weird in a society that tries to avoid pain at all costs, but I actually enjoy being able to feel pain. Not in the SM (sado-masochistic) sense that I take pleasure in pain and seek it consciously (some who know my chilli-eating habits might want to differ on this point), but rather because I view pain as arrows pointing us to important things:

Pain is the body/mind's way of saying 'Hey, HOLD ON! Something's wrong!'.

Think of the way your toe throbs black and blue and you want to jump up and down and shout a little when you hit your foot against the door.
Physical pain is particularly helpful for someone like me who goes full steam ahead even when symptoms of illness hit. As long as the pain persists, I am reminded to take better care of myself. If I were to take something for my symptoms, I'd promptly ignore the issues and carry on full steam again. Take for example the issue of my foot. Four months ago, I went on a spontaneous but epic beach-hike of more than 24k, with the last hour and a half spent scrambling over rocks... all this done barefoot. Unbeknownst to me, I strained the arch muscles severely of my left foot during this time, but I carried on regardless for the next two months until the pain became too much and I could hardly walk. At this point I finally went to the foot doctor, and discovered that this was one injury that would not disappear without human intervention - I now have to wear special insoles for the next year and a half. At least.

What about mental pain? Think of the way your heart feels absolutely gutted at the loss of a friend. Sure it sucks, but it always comforts me to know that they meant something. I think here that God also uses pain to tell us that SOMETHING'S wrong with the state of a world where death and betrayal and painful experiences are a regular occurence.. C.S.Lewis offers the following two thoughts in his book on pain The Problem of Pain:

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

"[Pain] removes the veil; it plants the flag of truth within the fortress of a rebel soul."

So is pain bad? Well, it definitely sucks and hurts a lot. But I think there's also a place for pain in a sinful world. Hmm. And, an added advantage for you guys today especially is that you get to hear some more of my rambling thoughts 'cause now I'm awake :)