Explore God
Session 3
The Purpose of Pain
Pain is much easier to endure if we know that it has purpose. We can accept pain, if we know it will lead to a better outcome. Doctors tell us that pain is a friend. Without it, we would not know something is wrong. The nerves in the body radiate sensations when the body is harmed. This leads to seeking aid because we feel the pain of the injury.
Spiritual Leprosy
Leprosy was a common disease in ancient days. With the advent of new medications, it has all but been stamp out as a threat to people’s health. Maybe you have seen photographs of the horribly deformed victims of this disease. The truth is that leprosy does not actually cause the disfigurement. Leprosy attacks the nerves and the skin, rendering the
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victim unable to feel pain. As a result, when they injure themselves, they are unaware and often do not seek treatment until it is too late. Stories are told of patients with leprosy who roll over in their sleep and their limb falls in a fire and is burned beyond repair, because they did not feel the pain that would have alerted them to the danger and the harm. This is why many victims of leprosy have amputated limbs and are so disfigured. Pain is our friend and alerts us to harm so that injury can be limited. Pain has the purpose of warning us of greater danger. If we could not feel pain, we would be like lepers who are injured, but not aware of it until it is too late. The Power of Corporal Punishment Every parent can attest to the fact that pain is a powerful motivator. The goal of corporal punishment is to discipline the child, training them how they should behave. The wisest man who ever lived wrote, “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes” Proverbs 13:24 You may have heard the modern proverb derived from this verse, “Spare the rod, spoil the child.” The writer of Hebrews points out that the true sign of spiritual sonship to God, the Father, is painful chastisement (Hebrews 12:5-11). Pain, or the desire to avoid it, is a powerful motivator and an effective tool for training. Coaches use it to prepare their teams for success on the field. The Navy Seals use often painful, rigorous activity to equip their ranks to accomplish the most difficult tasks. Pain is not only our friend to warn us of greater harm, it is also a powerful tool for producing mature and effective people. The Inevitability of Pain and Suffering Jesus declares that in this world we will have tribulation (John 16:33). Tribulation describes conditions of intense pressure and pain. While describing the inevitable, and not fearing that He will depress His followers, Jesus balances this statement with the encouragement to rejoice, because He has overcome the world! It is this promise and His subsequent acts of selfless sacrifice (performed under much pain and with great suffering) that give us hope and lead us to the remedy for pain and suffering in our own lives. God is not the source of pain, but He can use it to make us more like His Son. The Response to Suffering Pain can be distinguished from suffering by intensity or duration. Pain is most often immediate, resulting in a response that seeks to alleviate it as soon as possible. Suffering is most often a condition of pressure or distress that endures for a longer period. The remedy is not immediate and thus the need to learn to live with it is imperative. Suffering is as inevitable as pain and just as pervasive, and it too, has purpose. Acknowledging this purpose is the beginning of finding a remedy for it. The Hope of Immediate Relief The Bible is full of stories of men and women who suffered. We wish that ever instance of suffering could be dealt with like the “Woman with the Issue of Blood.” Her story is found in Mark 5:25-34. She had suffered for twelve years with her condition. She believed that if she could just touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, she would be healed. And she was. Jesus declared that power had flowed out of him, and even though He was pressed on all sides by the clinging crowd, He felt her touch. We wish all suffering could be treated so swiftly and completely, but that is not always the case. Ultimate Relief is in Jesus God raised up by Moses in response to the complaints of His people who were being abused in Egypt. They were suffering at the hands of their enemies. Their relief took time and ten plagues. The three young Hebrew men exiled to Babylon with Daniel stood up for their faith in God and were thrown into a fiery furnace that was so hot, it killed those who tended it. Their suffering seemed to have been mitigated, because when they were removed from the fire they did not even smell of smoke. God’s deliverance for man’s suffering takes on many forms. Ultimately, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to deal with pain and suffering once and for all. There will be a day when all pain and suffering is banished. Christ willingly gave Himself up as a sacrifice for sin. He suffered crucifixion and died a painful death. He was buried and spent three days in the grave. Paul give us hints to what happen when Jesus appeared in hell during this time (Ephesians 4:8-10). The outcome was to render pain and suffering, and even death, powerless. Some of the greatest suffering is the result of the fear of death. 1 Corinthians 15 tells us that death was the last enemy of God’s people. Jesus disarmed it by giving all who believe in Him eternal life. 54So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 Jesus is our victory over sin, death, pain and suffering. Suffering may be inevitable, but it is not eternal. Since it is part of life and not everyone is healed or delivered immediately, maybe there is a larger purpose for suffering that we do not readily see. Sometimes, we may not see God’s purpose until the tribulation is complete. We may not know our destiny until the trial of suffering has accomplished what is was designed to do. Sufferings’ Poster Child - Joseph Let me introduce you to Joseph.
You can read his story in Genesis, Chapters 37-50. The first note of him concerns his ability to dream and interpret dreams. Joseph was a dreamer and he had a dream. His dream took at least two forms. In one version of his dream he was a sheave of wheat and his family were also sheaves of wheat that had been gathered at harvest and were waiting to be carried in to be stored. In Joseph’s dream, all the other bundles of wheat bowed down to his. In another version of his dream he was a star. Again, his family were also stars and heavenly bodies. Again, all the other stars and heavenly bodies bowed down to his star in his dream.
With a cursory glance this dreams sounds marvelous. “This young man has a fine destiny in front of him,” we might say. Joseph was a promising boy and he knew it. He was his father’s favorite. We know this because none of his brothers were given a coat of such striking colors to wear. Apparently, Joseph wore it everywhere he went. It became a bit annoying to his siblings. It was like he was rubbing his father’s special affection for him in their face. He seemed to taunt his brothers with his dreams, too. Even his parents grew tired of his arrogance and
bragging. Joseph’s prideful behavior caused such a rift in the family that his brothers were ready to kill him. They were so disturbed by his colorful coat and constant reminder of his dream that when they had the opportunity, they conspired to end his life. They could endure the heart-ached of their father over the loss of his favorite son easier than they could put up with Joseph’s bragging. When they had their chance, the brothers seized it, but level heads prevailed and the young man was not slain. He was dropped in an old dried up well, left for the elements to do what they did not have the stomach to do. I don’t know if you have ever been in a pit before, but a pit is narrow and dark and confining. Any direction you look you see nothing but a dirt wall. There is no place to look but up. Joseph found himself all alone in a dark hole in the ground. It might as well have been a grave without a lid. For the first time in his life, he was not on top. He was helpless, abandon in the bottom of a deep hole in the ground. But what about his dream? Isn’t it just like the enemy to cut off the promise before it can really have life? The enemy wanted to stop Israel’s deliverer, so he persuaded Pharaoh to kill all the Hebrew baby boys in Egypt. He used King Herod in a similar attempt to stop the plan of God through Jesus Christ, when again, Jewish baby boys were slaughtered. Joseph seems to be another in this pattern—a young man with promise, cut down before he could fulfill his destiny. If we know the scheme of the enemy, surely God does, too! Why would He allow the death of his child, at the hands of his brothers no less? Part of the pain of suffering is not knowing how things will turn out. Thank goodness we have the rest of the story. Before we move on through the story of Joseph, let’s pause and reflect on what Joseph experienced while he languished in the pit. It may help us to know what he did, if and when we find ourselves in the pit of suffering.
In “Happiness and Its Discontents” Daniel M.Haybron describes the relationship between pain and happiness. Put simply, pain doesn 't bring happiness,happiness comes from within.
Pain is something that several Americans suffer from on a daily basis for varying reasons.
...e Biblical story weighs heavily on Joseph’s divine dream interpreting ability and the story it provides, focusing on the theme of God caring for His people and fulfilling his divine plan. The Qur’an appreciates this but sees it as a means to the end of the spread of faith to non-believers. The Christian and Jewish version of Joseph’s trials serves a greater literary purpose than the Qur’an’s version, advancing belief by showing God’s abilities and the way they may be manifested in others in order to fulfill his divine plan. However, the Qur’an expands upon the Biblical version by including additional plot points and explicitly portraying Joseph’s goals and how they align with Islamic theology. The accounts differ in functionality, but both are crucial to the holistic understanding of the story of Joseph and some of the fundamental differences between the religions.
This does not mean that pain is always a daily part of life, but that it can not and should not be avoided. If one were to try to avoid pain, it is quite possible that they would inadvertently pass up pleasure. This would happen because a person would be too worried to take a chance on failing. Pain is a part of life just as pleasure is. To reap the benefits of one, there must be consequences given to the other. There is a quote that goes, “You must drink from the chalice of pain, before you can sip from the elixir of self-respect” Another criteria for happiness and morality should be based upon attentions. If one performs a moral action, but has immoral intentions, that person should not be considered ethically correct. To be truly right and happy, one must not only act but think right. Mill suggests that pleasure should guide our decision-making. While the statement is true, it is not fully correct. If a person will deal with pain that come from hard work, dedication, and perseverance, then the benefits will be that much sweeter.
Chapters thirty-nine through forty-one of Genesis chronicle a portion of the life of Joseph, the eleventh, and most favored, son of Jacob. “The book of Genesis is an account of the creation of the universe (Genesis 1-2), the origins of human communities (Genesis 3-11), and the beginnings of the people set apart by God (Genesis 12-50)” (Hauer and Young 67). The Joseph story begins in chapter thirty-seven, and spans nearly fourteen full chapters; the book ends, in chapter fifty, with the death of Joseph. The narrative of Joseph’s life is well crafted and highly detailed. It is, in fact, the most comprehensive narrative in the book of Genesis. The story flows, from beginning to end as a novel would. “Unique, too, is the somewhat secular mold in which the biography is cast. The miraculous or supernatural is conspicuously absent” (Sarna 211). Although God is mentioned, as a presence, he never overtly presents himself as he did with the many of the heroes that came before Joseph. The ending chapters of Genesis are a coming of age story; the tale of a boy, becoming a man.
What started as a problem with a horrific disease, lead to isolation of leprosy patients. It was hard for these patients to settle and make homes; communities feared the spreading of illness. The government took an old plantation to create a hospital for the leprosy patients. The old plantation was called hospital #66 or better known as Carville. “Over a long time period, the disease can be disfiguring, and societies have stigmatized victims of the disease. This attribute is deeply discrediting since the stigmatized individual is disqualified from full social acceptance. Leprosy was thus dreaded, not because it killed, but because it left one alive with no hope”. (P1. And 2, Sato, H., & Frantz, J. (2005). Termination of the leprosy isolation policy in the US and japan: Science, policy changes, and the garbage can model.) People deemed with this Disease were brought to Carville mandatory to be quarantined; some patients were brought in shackles against there will. Patients were forced to leave everything they knew and loved behind, including friends, family and children.
Rationale. Pain is one of the most common reasons why individuals seek medical attention in a health care setting. Clarifying the concept of pain will help health care providers provide the best effective care of pain and pain management.
Oprah Winfrey once said, “The best thing about dreams is that fleeting moment, when you are between asleep and awake, when you don't know the difference between reality and fantasy, when for just that one moment you feel with your entire soul that the dream is reality, and it really happened.” But, what actually is a dream and what do dreams really have to do with one’s everyday life? In essence, a dream is a series of mental images and emotions occurring during slumber. Dreams can also deal with one’s personal aspirations, goals, ambitions, and even one’s emotions, such as love and hardship. However, dreams can also give rise to uneasy and terrible emotions; these dreams are essentially known as nightmares. In today’s society, the concept of dreaming and dreams, in general, has been featured in a variety of different mediums, such as literature, film and even music. While the mediums of film and music are both prime examples of this concept, the medium of literature, on the other hand, contains a much more diverse set of examples pertaining to dreams and dreaming. One key example is William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. While the portrayal of dreams, in general, plays a prominent role in Shakespeare’s play, the exploration of many aspects of nature, allows readers to believe that dreams are merely connected to somewhat unconventional occurrences.
Pain and suffering is something that we all would like to never experience in life, but is something that is inevitable. “Why is there pain and suffering in the world?” is a question that haunts humanity. Mother Teresa once said that, “Suffering is a gift of God.” Nevertheless, we would all like to go without it. In the clinical setting, pain and suffering are two words that are used in conjunction.
middle of paper ... ... Being free of pain is something that we feel within us to be intrinsically joyful, and no reason can be used to explain further why we wish to be joyful, or in good health. These things we just sense, and even a murderer, who rejects morality on the social level, will do whatever he can to avoid the displeasures of his inner being. His sentiments, if only for himself, remain within him. “One thing can always be a reason, why another is desired.
Being all members of the human race surely we have all sympathized for the less fortunate; whether it was for what they had or what they didn’t. There is a condition that most have never considered, and probably have never heard of. Imagine big white and red spots that decorate every part of your body so that they can’t be hidden. On the inside you have a painful sinus infection and after a while a loss of peripheral nerve sensation so bad that your hands and feet go numb. You could go blind or you could loose your nose, ears, or even legs to amputation. Unfortunately the physical ailments are the best part. Throughout history leprosy sufferers have been cast off from society with as much concern that dead bodies are sent to graves.
Joseph as an individual started as a lost, depressed individual with no insight on what is happening in his life which leads to constant flashbacks to his father. The loss of Joseph 's father pointed out the feeling of how many children across this world might feel especially in places where conflict and war are still existent. This story did have a little bit of the plot focused on racism but the idea of being new and unique dominated the
"There is much pain that is quite noiseless; and that make human agonies are often a mere whisper in the of hurrying existence. There are glances of hatred that stab and raise no cry of murder; robberies that leave man of woman for ever beggared of peace and joy, yet kept secret by the sufferer-committed to no sound except that of low moans in the night, seen in no writing except that made on the face by the slow months of suppressed anguish and early morning tears. Many an inherited sorrow that has marred a life has been breathed into no human ear." George Eliot (1819-80), English novelist,editor. Felis Holt, the Radical, Introduction (1866).What is pain? In the American Heritage Dictionary, pain is referred to as "an unpleasant sensation occurring in varying degrees of severity as a consequence of injury, disease, or emotional disorder." The word is rooted in Middle English, from an Old French piene, from Latin poena, meaning "penalty or pain", and from Greek pointe, meaning "penalty." Pain is a very realistic problem that many individuals face daily.
“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.” According to Buddha, everyone needs some form of spirituality to define his or her life and existence. Webster Dictionary defines spiritualism as “a system of beliefs or religious practices based on supposed communication with the spirits of the dead, often times through mediums.” Though this is one general definition of spiritualism, this concept is one that does not hold a conclusive meaning. Each and every single person has the ability and right to create and practice their own idea of spiritualism. From ancient times to present day, the term and practice of spirituality has transformed, particularly from region to region. Despite the discrepancies in practices and overall understanding of this idea, spirituality has had an effect and impact upon all of humanity since the creation of time. This religion that is believed to have been established in the early eighteen hundreds, after two little girls claimed to have the ability to talk to spirits, sparked interest in this spiritual movement, allowing it to spread rather rapidly over many geographical locations. Aside from being recognized as a religion, spiritualism is also believed to be a form of philosophy and a science in which spiritualists believe that there is life after death and try to demonstrate this through the ability of attempting to communicate with those that have passed on. Spiritualism was socially different from other religions in existence at the time because it presented followers with a more tolerant belief system that assimilated the principles and facts from a selection the world's religions. Spiritualism also made it acceptable for women to play a disti...
Spirituality can have many different definitions, depending on who is asked. It can be something as simple as looking for a higher meaning to life, or something so complex that one can base their beliefs, religion and overall life around it. There are several different ways to express one's spirituality; rituals, songs, dances, stories, and writings are all common methods of expression.