My pain, Your pain

Those who know I have a chronic pain condition or two are sometimes reluctant to share with me about their own pain. I must assure them, "Your pain is your pain!"

Only the Lord Jesus Christ knows exactly how we each suffer. Your pain is not to be compared or contrasted with mine. When it comes down to it, suffering is just lousy suffering. Now granted, there are times I can make my suffering WORSE, especially when I fall into a pit of self-pity. The only way someone else can make it worse than that is if they are willing to play "Poor you" with me and wash my back with the muck.

The Lord knows my suffering and yours. He wants to enter into it with me and with you. He does not encourage self-pity, but He does encourage inviting His Presence into our every moment and situation.

So the next time you are in pain, especially the kind that grinds you down with constant, unrelenting suffering, please invite Him in and call me so we can pray together.

I find this prayer a comfort at those times:

BCP  For Trust in God O God, the source of all health: So fill my heart with faith in
your love, that with calm expectancy I may make room for
your power to possess me, and gracefully accept your
healing; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 My Mother used to have a ceramic likeness of this art. Wish I knew what happened to it when she died.