don't be selfish with your pain

Lewis tells us about love today in A Year with C. S. Lewis. But what he tells us applies to pain, as well.

It is neither good nor bad that we suffer pain. The important thing is what we do with it. Our natural tendency is to go off by ourselves and hide it. But God wants us to share our pain. Sharing our pain does so many good things...

It puts our pain in perspective. When something is only in your head (as pain often is) it seems like a huge, undeafetable monster. But when you share it with your friend, you see its actual size...which is not so scary after all.

It helps your friend realize they are not alone in their pain. We all have pain of one kind or another. Sharing your pain with your friend enables him to know other people suffer, too. I'm not some freak, alone in the world with my pain.

It causes our pain to make us better people. There are two things that can happen when we suffer...We either become better, or we become bitter. Sharing our pain gives it air to breathe...preventing it from becoming bitter, turning us bitter along with it.

It shows us the other side. When we share our pain, we begin to see that it's not infinite. Our pain has edges, and an ending point. One day our pain will be over...we can look fwd to that.

Are you in pain today? Don't be selfish. Share your pain with your friend. He might need to hear about it to deal with his own.

Thank You, God, for giving us friends to share our pain...