Pain has a way of receiving our attention. It is an indicator that something is wrong somewhere. Have you ever considered pain to be a gift in your life?

As I stood over my wife, Mary, at the Emergency Room, I felt helpless and teary. They were poking, prodding, sticking her with needles and scheduling a CAT scan in order to discover what was wrong. For two days she was in severe abdominal pain.

Physical pain tends to attract our immediate attention. Doctors pour over us attempting a diagnoses in order to extend treatment. There are numerous tests, blood work and vital signs taken. We rush to find the cause in order to bring the cure.

Somehow we perceive emotional pain as different. We tell ourselves, “Time heals and it’ll go away…eventually.” It doesn’t. It’s undiagnosed. It settles deep into our soul and tries to hide itself. We cover it up with laughter and a “not going to let it bother me” kind of attitude. However, it becomes more severe and grows like a cancer, eating away at us. Jesus points to it, presses His finger on it, and we dismiss it. It becomes infected and at just the wrong time, the pain surfaces in an anger outburst, or depression, or…

Mary’s appendix was ruptured and poison filled her abdominal area. She needed emergency surgery that night and IV antibiotics for 24 hours. How about you, do you need emergency surgery to bring healing to an emotional hurt? There is a Surgeon with the most skillful and heavenly hands just waiting for your go ahead. Ask Him, He is our healer. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. (Psalms 147:3)