What is the opposite of pain?
The Lord brought this question to mind as I was walking out
of the department store where I had made a quick stop for a last-minute item for
a party at our house. I quickly
dismissed my initial answer…healing.
Healing is the solution but not the opposite of pain. What is the opposite of pain?
I know many people who live with pain in their life, both
physical and emotional pain. Some of the
pain is self-inflicted but much of the pain is the result of the actions of
others. Rather than live in this world
of pain, what is the other side of pain? More questions quickly came to mind.
How do you leave the world of pain that wants to define your
life? You can’t pretend that the pain never happened. God can heal your pain, but the memory of
pain can change how you live your life.
You can become defensive or insecure, fearing the potential hurts ‘out
there’ in your future. You can become
embittered, choosing to hurt first the next time, inadvertently becoming the
next ‘hurter’ for someone else.
Shortly after the first question came to mind, God brought
His answer to my mind the same way. I heard this thought that was not my idea, “The opposite of pain is peace.” Almost immediately, and before I could
form my objections to His answer, He reminded me of Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose
minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
Wow! What if that is
true? The opposite of living a life
defined by pain or the memory of pain is… peace. What if we could choose to be kept in the
perfect peace that God promised to those who steadfastly choose to trust in God
for their future and their life free of pain’s distraction from or challenge to
our trust in God?
What if, when pain’s memory rises again, I stand against
pain and before God and declare:
“I choose to trust you God! I stand against pain’s attempt to distract me
from steadfastly choosing to trust You!
You will keep me in perfect peace!
Pain is real, but Your peace is perfect, complete, and life changingly more
than real. Supernaturally real! Pain is
distracting but Your peace is the reward of my choice to trust in Your truth and
not in pain’s lies. I steadfastly choose to
trust You by an act of my will, whether I feel like it right now or not! AMEN!”
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3, NIV
