NO GAIN WITHOUT PAIN?

NO GAIN WITHOUT PAIN

Man, those words flowed from the lips of my old football coach Mr. Fleming many years ago. I still remember them well. Back then, you knew exactly when the pain would end (right after practice) and after playing a while, you got smart and learned you in deed could make gain without pain.
Suffering, something that comes out of pain is something over which we have choice!!

Suffering is a journey which has an end. --Matthew Foxr
From Hazelden:
"Pain is part of life. To live a spiritual life, we need a way to understand the suffering we sometimes endure. Looking back at other difficult times can give us a better perspective of the pain we feel today. All of us can recall a loss or a sudden difficult change that we never would have chosen for ourselves. Perhaps it brought us face to face with insecurities or doubts about our survival. Now, after the suffering has ended, we see how much we grew. We changed; we were strengthened and, perhaps, were liberated by what happened to us.
Thoughts about today's suffering may not be clear as to what good it holds for us. But we are on a journey, and it can only happen one step at a time. We know that jou
eys teach us great lessons and they do have endings. Our pain today affirms that we are vital and alive people. We know others suffer as we do, and we can turn to each other to give and receive comfort while we are on the journey"

While I have no choice quite frequently when it comes to pain, I do have a choice as to the length of the journey of suffering. Pain, whether physical or emotional is a feeling. With physical pain, the end is usually predictable. With emotional, the time of suffering is predicated by the actions I take and the help I seek.
Looking back, some of the suffering of the past (and much of that was self inflicted) did help my growth. That being said, I am grateful today to have acquired tools that make the journey of suffering much shorter these day.
The focus of life today is on a continuing journey of recovering from the past. Sure there is still pain, we all experience it, but from an emotional standpoint, I can make gain (progress) without living in extended suffering from pain! This spark any thoughts in you or stir feelings? (www.hopeserenity.ca)