We all have experienced it….pain. And we all have done everything we could to avoid it or numb it. We put a lot of effort into numbing, or ignoring pain, obvious from the multi-billion dollar industry of painkillers in our society.   Avoiding pain is not quite as obvious, but can be pin-pointed by the way we pass on opportunities for fear of failure, rejection or misunderstanding which causes its own kind of pain.

Jim Rohn was an American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker. His rags to riches story played a large part in his work, which influenced others in the personal development industry. He has written a number of successful self-help books and his quotes have been inspirational to millions. Here is one that has stuck with me over the years:

“We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.”

Life has its challenges and we can experience it to its fullest enjoying its sweetness and growing from the pain-staking challenges or we can live life like a hermit and spend our time and energy avoiding what it means to live life to its fullest

Pain is inevitable. If you are a weekend athlete, you’ve know the pain of the use of muscles that haven’t been used in a while. If you’ve ever been jilted by a love interest you know the depths of that pain.

So what is the answer? Live in a bubble? Bubble-living seems to be an oxymoron. Life has its challenges and we can experience it to its fullest enjoying its sweetness and growing from the pain-staking challenges or we can live life like a hermit and spend our time and energy avoiding what it means to live life to its fullest (John 10:10).

This two-kinds-of-pain quote of Jim Rohn is brilliant, but he’s not the first to observe this fact of life. Solomon shared this same life lesson thousands of years earlier in the Proverbs.

“Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.” Proverbs 15:32

So here’s what I’ve gleaned from the pain of regret or discipline….life is painful. Since pain is inevitable, learn from it and don’t waste it. Pain can be our friend; it is our body’s way of sending up a red flag that something is wrong or telling us to step back and review mental and emotional pain to see how we it can teach us.

God speaks to us in every aspect of life. We can hear His voice in the midst of a worship service, but if we allow Him to speak, it can be during a relationship misunderstanding, and or from those aching muscle when we’ve extended ourselves physically. He can meet us in the depths of pain as we mourn the loss of a loved one or grapple with on ongoing physical challenge in life. God is bigger that our pain!

Keep this thought in mind; Jesus knew a thing or two about every dimension of pain. He deeply desires to be your go-to Person no matter what pain you experience in life. He will take your pain and turn it into your ministry.