Stand Tall in the Face of Suffering
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7)
In the 1920s, a physiologist, Walter Cannon, created the phrase fight-or-flight. Unfortunately, when it comes to pain and suffering, it is hard to fight, so most people choose flight or avoidance. Unfortunately, avoiding pain and suffering is an illusion, not unlike the ostrich sticking its head in the sand to avoid danger. It doesn’t help!
Humans instinctually respond to pain and suffering with avoidance. Facing pain and suffering requires inner strength and wisdom beyond our innate capabilities. God’s Spirit is needed to give us the determination to stop sticking our heads in the sand. Thomas Oppong, in his article, “All Human Life Involves Pain-Most Suffering Comes From Avoidance,” clarifies, “Avoidance will inevitably lead to unhappiness and distress unless addressed and resolved.” I have a relative whose family member was sick but didn’t want to hear what the doctor would say, so she stayed away from the doctor’s office. By the time they addressed her pain, the cancer was so advanced she died months later, at a young age. Avoidance can be a killer.
Facing your pain and suffering head-on will often provide wisdom. Oppong quotes Helen Keller, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” Oppong continues, “When you live in denial about your circumstances, the outside world will find other ways of hurting you.” The way to strengthen your circumstances is to resist. We resist pain and suffering by continuing to get help, living meaningfully within required limitations, and not giving up and fleeing.
Today, prayerfully seek meaning in your suffering. Oppong quotes Friedrich Nietzsche, “To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” You cannot find meaning through avoidance. Remain faithfully stubborn, stand tall, and be spiritually defiant in the face of suffering. Trust the Holy Spirit to keep you strong in adversity and in wisdom to produce wisdom. Finally, confirm that the fight is worth the effort. As Elisabeth Kubler-Ross proclaims, “The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths.” As you struggle, remember your pain is an opportunity to become closer to God and refine your inner beauty.