EPISODE #2 > The foolish always suffer more than the wise. And love covers a multitude of sin. I’d like to suggest these two qualities for consideration in their pain reducing power. As explained in Episode #1, we are not talking about pain as in the common cold or headache. Although we do not deny such things affect to our over all experience of life. But we refer to what a pain life has become ever since death and sin entered at the garden.

Life has become both joy and pain. I often think of the bitterness of coffee. Some people have a taste for it, and many don’t. I do. My wife don’t. LOL. Some people love to fill their coffee with cream, sugar, caramel, vanilla, etc. The list goes on and on. I like my coffee black.

However, I do need to clarify, whenever possible I like something sweet with it. I like the bitterness of that black coffee followed by the sweetness of a doughnut, pancake, etc. Or even the saltiness of bacon. Sure is good. And life is a lot that way. We suffer the pain of working hard all week, but then comes the reward in that paycheck, or remodeled house, or a hot car, etc. The joy of athletic performance after much training. There is a certain satisfaction to the perplexity that life is hard.

But I do not seek hardness for the sake of hardness. I do not seek a discomfort zone because I love being uncomfortable. I know discomfort can not be avoided in this life, so I seek ways of reducing it, because it cannot be eliminated. This is wisdom in itself.

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” (James 3:13-16 NKJV)

That scripture suggests there is wisdom that descends from ABOVE. That can only be good! I want that! There are many “wise” actions we can practice. Such as, taking care of our health, proper exercise and healthy foods, all things done in balance, less stress and more peace, living within a budget, helping others, living in truth and reality, being a responsible person, faithful to our wife and family, a mind set on the eternal more than the material, the list goes on and on.

If you consider the opposite of all these things, such as not being faithful to wife and family, consider the pain that comes. Not living within a budget, your outflow is more than your inflow. Consider the pain that comes. We all have the ability to look down the road and see where something eventually goes. This is wisdom. Much pain can be avoided in life. The foolish ALWAYS suffer more than the wise.

Just as most parents do, God loves teaching His children better ways. Most people hope their children will do better in life than they have. It pains us when we see them making bad choices that will lead to increased pain. Love motivates us to try and teach them. Many times we feel the pain of rejection when they don’t want our advice. But love suffers through.

Pain reducing practice #2 > LOVE. The picture with this article is that of my mother when she was 87 and battling dementia. I would never publish such a picture of her if she were still with us. But I believe much good can come out of these articles. She went through a lot in her last days. It was sad. But my love for her, and my love for God, demanded I be there to help her through this time. Her last years would have been even more painful if my sister and I, and my wife, had not been there.

Was it easy? No. We had to make major sacrifices. We had to be willing to take on pain ourself in order to ease her pain. In Episode #1, I told the story of her frying bacon in a plastic plate! Of course it was a disaster, but she was enjoying her half cooked bacon anyway. I can only laugh about it now.

In the above picture she got confused one morning and thought her paint set was her makeup. I came in the house not expecting anything unusual, (but I should have known better), and there she was setting at the kitchen table, all made up as if nothing was wrong. It was shocking to say the least! So bright! She always did like pink. And now I laugh again.

In this life you got to be willing to give and receive help, because many sad things happen to us all. Love is the best emotion to motivate us. Sometimes we need to “forgive”. That can be hard, depending how badly we have been wronged. But we suffer MORE if we stay in unforgiveness. We’re examining pain reducing actions. Love is likely the greatest pain reducing quality we can have. I think Paul says it best in 1st Corinthians 13: 13 >…

“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.“

Jesus said to love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourself. A love for truth is also greatly needed to reduce pain in the earth. Lies only end up creating more pain. Why do we do this? The love of money causes a lot of it. Our love misplaced on evil actions cause so much pain and destruction in this earth. We increase pain rather than reduce. But that is the state of mankind, the reality we must embrace and learn how to make the most of.

God has given us great opportunity to use whatever gifts He gave each of us in our own unique giftings, to make this world a better place. If we do that we will be rewarded not only in this life, but also the next. If we do not, then we make this world, and our own life, more painful than it needs to be. We all have times when we do this very thing, but let us strive to do the other. Let us practice pain reducing and pain prevention as much as be in us to do, with God’s help of course.

Comments welcome.