Monday, January 24, 2011

The Problem of Pain

In this section of The Problem of Pain C.S. Lewis beautifully explains the purposes behind the pain that we so often experience.  We are rebels against God and it is pain that God uses to convince us to lay down our arms.  We are so often satisfied without God that He chooses to use pain to make us realize that we actually need Him.  God must 'break our will' like nurses used to break the wills of disobedient children and He does this through our pain.  We will not even begin to surrender our self-will to God if we are doing well with it.  However terrible it sounds, this pain must be continuous for as Lewis says 'However often we think we have broken the rebellious self we shall soon find it alive.'  We recognize pain easily because it it is 'unmasked, unmistakable evil; every man knows that something is wrong when he is being hurt.'  We can often ignore pleasure, but we cannot ignore pain.  Lewis says, "God whispers to us in our pleasure, he speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain, it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

I really liked this section because it made me think a lot about the purpose behind the pain that we so often experience.  I agree with Lewis that pain is what God uses to break our will and orient us back toward Himself.  Reflection back on my own life, some of the times of greatest pain, sorrow, and uncertainty were when my focus turned back to God.  If it were not for those times I would have missed out on so much in my relationship with God.  It is so easy, especially in our modern American society, to get so comfortable and independent that we think we have no need for God.  Like Lewis says, "We regard God as an airman regards a parachute; it's there for emergencies but he hopes he'll never have to use it."  I get stuck in this sinful frame of mind so often.  I think it is important to come back to the truth that God made us for Himself and we will never be satisfied without Him.  The attempt to do so is a sinful one indeed.  We need pain to break our wills and reorient us toward the truth.

The Bible also talks a lot about pain and trials.  James 1: 2-4 says,
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
Likewise 1 Peter 1: 6-7 say this,
"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
Both of these passages communicate the same thing that Lewis is talking about: there is a purpose and a meaning behind the pain that we experience.  We are not called to be hypocritical Christians who always put on a happy face and deny our emotions.  We will be grieved by trials and these trials will often be very painful.  What these passages urge us to do is keep the end in mind while we are suffering through the means.  Our faith is being tested and strengthened and in this we should rejoice.  Our will is being broken are our hearts are being reoriented toward God.  No matter how horrible the pain, there is hope.  It is worth it because the reward of 'tested genuineness' of our faith is 'more precious than gold.'

1 comment:

  1. Good post! I was very challenged when I read that God puts pain in our lives so that we can realize that we need him. Whenever we face pain and hardship, we should look for God and see what He's trying to communicate to us through it.

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