GOOD PAINS

There are times when we all have to endure some hardship or pain. This is a passage of life, which is not always pleasant, but can be reward in some ways. It depends on if the event or situation helps us to learn.

God doesn't spare us such experiences at times. And we can be sure that in the process that this means if we don't learn we will probably repeat the same mistake.

Learning isn't always enough though. We also need the capacity to forgive ourselves. If we say, "I learned my lesson," but all we did was understand that we won't make that choice again, we have only learned part of the truth.

For without the clarity of appreciating what contributed to the decision process we can cheat ourselves out of certain knowledge. One might learn to say avoid jumping off a cliff if we did it once and got hurt, providing we survive.

But know such will cause pain is not the same as truly recognizing what motivated us to make a given choice. I have seen those who learned to avoid pain but never got in touch with inner drives that lead to the pain.

And there are so many times when this is the sad aspect of the process. Oh one can invest in all kinds of methods of learning these truths.

But if the core of the issue revolves around a spiritual aspect then all that other form of wisdom won't improve the understanding. This only God can do.

He will through the power of his Holy Spirit lead us to insight that helps see what cripples our thinking in the first place. It doesn't mean we will always end up being prudent and avoiding another mistake.

What it does is give us the truth. And that can truly help in the process. For other what lies at the core of our drives is tied to sin.

That is so thought of as a bad thing. Yet it is easier to candy coat the truth for the sake of pretending we don't sin?

For some it seems to be. Which is sort of like trying to put a puzzle together without all the pieces.

You will get a picture of what the puzzle looks like, but it will never be accurate. And when we understand how we are flawed and will be so able to fall into such crevices it does help produce a certain degree of freedom.

For we don't have to keep thinking of ourselves as perfect or totally in charge of all we do. Then we have a better chance to trust God instead of just to our own strength. That can be the hardest of all lessons to learn.