I am certainly not qualified to write a book, blog, or even complex sentence on the problem with pain.  Yet the reality is, pain is real.  It is present in all our lives.  It varies in its degree, masks itself at times, and even mocks us with its reality, but it is always there in some form.  CS Lewis wrote a beautiful book by the same title.  In it, he tries to explain that if God is good, why does He allow his beloved and His creation to suffer pain? The truth is that there is no easy answer.  Yet, just because we experience pain does not mean that God is any less good.  God created a world that was perfect.  Everything was perfect.  Mankind sinned.  Perfect left.

The problem with pain is that it hurts.  It’s the opposite of perfect.  It makes no sense and draws our attention away from all that is good.  A broken arm, a broken promise, a broken heart all hurt.  And they hurt bad.  The other problem with pain is that it is real.  We cannot escape it.  No matter how hard we try or how far we run, our pain stays with us.  In fact, sometimes the pain increases the more we try to get rid of it. So, how do we rid ourselves of this burden?

We can’t.  There is nothing we can do to guarantee ourselves a pain free life.  There is nothing that can save us from this problem here on earth.  But there is a promise.  There will come a time for all those who believe in Jesus Christ as our risen Savior and Lord for Him to take all our pain away.  Until then, we wait.  We pray.  We trust.  We believe that the God who created a perfect world, free from pain and death and sorrow, will redeem it as promised.  Pain is real, but so is our God.  Our hope in in You, oh God.