Few things in life are certainties, but pain is part of the universal human experience. While our first instinct is to push it away, we do ourselves a disservice when we don’t recognize it as a guide and a teacher. Just like a seed has to push against soil to blossom into a beautiful flower, humans need pain to push against and grow as individuals.

Resilience

Whether it’s physical or emotional pain, it's overwhelming to look it in the face without shaking. When we experience heavy amounts of pain, we slowly learn resilience and to move forward even when our bodies are exhausted. Our minds grasp we can endure difficulties and we can, and will, come out stronger on the other side.

Empathy

Our own hardships lead us towards empathetic responses to those around us. When we are in tune with energy shifts with those experiencing pain, we begin to understand their struggles and offer them support. While we are not made to take the pain away (nor should we), we can give our people the comfort of knowing we’re here for them every step of the way.

Mindfulness

All of us have experienced a cold where we couldn’t breathe out of our nose. In those moments, you realize you’ve taken your health for granted and would give anything to breathe normally! We can say the same about pain. We learn to appreciate the small moments in life and to cherish times when we’re carefree, healthy, and filled with thanks. Pain allows us to see the importance of living where you’re planted and enjoying life to the fullest.

Patience

Last, pain teaches us to be patient with ourselves as we heal towards wholeness. While we’re in the shadows of pain and frustration, we look forward with hopeful expectation and see the sun is indeed still shining even when we can’t feel its warmth.

While we may try to eliminate pain altogether, I hope you’ll think critically about how pain serves a purpose. It’s our teacher, guide, and motivator that forces us to confront our own limitations while pushing us to grow.

Embrace pain and see what she would teach you.