February | 2019 | Life as it happens to be

Sometimes the simplest lessons in ‘life’s kitchen’ are the most obvious, and yet yield deeper nourishment if we learn to feast on them.

Today’s unexpected lesson was a reminder of what I have been working through on a deeper level for several years, that there is purpose in pain, and sometimes a very specific purpose.

You’ve probably guessed by now that there was a minor injury in the kitchen. I burned the side of my finger when I touched a hot dish, and I surprised myself at the speed and efficiency of my actions in the retraction of my hand, and dousing it in cold water, in reaction to the sharp and targeted pain. An automatic reaction, and far less clumsy than had I tried to pull away and soothe myself purposely. To my physical senses, the reality of the heat of the dish was not apparent (although it should have been – temporary lapse of concentration shall we say), yet the instantaneous pain and reaction has been a saving grace. No major harm was done, I protected myself and the lingering sensation of pain, although fading, serves as a conscious reminder to myself to be aware and careful. And it has also served a bigger purpose in the expression of the lesson in this blog post!

I don’t know what pain you have in your life, but we all live in a ‘fallen’ and fractured world, in which no one is immune from pain. Perhaps it is physical, mental, psychological, or all of the above. The pain we experience differs, and often it can feel and seem arbitrary, chaotic, meaningless….unfair….? You fill in the blanks. However, just take a moment to think about how pain has served you in your life. Has it made you get out of a difficult situation (like my reaction to draw my hand away from a heat source), has it compelled you to seek healing, comfort and relief (perhaps the Rivers of the Water of Life to soothe you)? Have you sought to learn how to soothe yourself in a healthy and safe way? And perhaps has the pain of your experiences left an indelible mark upon your mind that although reminds you of something painful and difficult, in fact serves as a life long lesson that in fact can benefit you as you realise that your reaction to pain in your life can be one of protection, healing, growth and learning?

Pain is pain…there’s no way around that. Yet, we have ‘at our fingertips’, as sore as they may be, some of life’s deepest and most valuable lessons….what do you think? x