Pain

The Nursery Leader

The nursery leader watched as the toddler attempted to stand up and walk across the room. She worried about the baby falling. She quickly rushed to the baby's aid and held the baby up before the baby attempted to walk. The nursery leader’s motto was, “No baby will experience hardship on my watch.”

The nursery leader watched all the babies like a hawk. If the baby attempted to lift their own bottle, she lifted it for them. If the baby attempted to crawl, she carried the baby to the destination. If the baby tried to sit up, she propped up the baby with pillows. In her nursery, there was no need for struggle. The babies did not have to overcome difficulties because she removed them. They didn’t have to feel the pain of defeat because she ensured success. They didn’t experience bruises or bumps because she anticipated their moves and did all the work for them. She saw herself as being the most benevolent nursery leader of all time.

The Youth Leader

The youth leader did not want his youth to experience any pain. While they were in his care, their life would be pain-free. He planned all of their activities with perfect precision. He did not involve them in planning because they were not experienced planners. He anticipated that they would make mistakes in the planning process and that they would experience the pain of failure.

 The youth leader taught all the lessons in class. He planned them, studied for them, wrote them, and executed them. He did not want the youth to participate in planning, writing, or instructing the other youth. He was sure that they were inexperienced. They would make mistakes in the execution. They might get some of the doctrine wrong, and then they would have to be corrected. Their fellow students might not be adequately entertained. If the youth participated in lesson teaching, they most assuredly would experience the pain of embarrassment, failure, and imperfection. This would never be his class. He would never allow suffering of any kind.

The Pastor

The pastor did not like his congregation members to experience pain. He never issued any challenges from the pulpit, because the members were not likely to achieve them perfectly. This would result in them feeling discouraged, and he wanted to protect them from discouragement.

The pastor only put the best people in positions of leadership. He never put someone in leadership for the purpose of helping them grow. He only wanted people to work on projects they were overqualified for. He feared that if people were underqualified, the pain of personal growth would be too much for them. He was too kind for that.

The pastor never asked his members to sacrifice. He wanted a church where people showed up on Sunday and then did not have to think about church until the following Sunday. He didn’t want them to offer up their talents for people in the community. He didn’t want them to sacrifice their time in the service of those around them. He did not want to ask them to donate to worthy causes. Sacrifice, donation, and service require the expenditure of resources that are better kept locked up. If he were to ask the members to contribute to their community, it would cause pain, and he wasn’t about to let that happen.

The Logistics of Pain

Pain is a necessary part of life. It should not be feared or avoided. Pain is necessary to help us grow. Pain teaches us what we should and should not do. If we prevent people from experiencing pain, then we will prevent growth. People must make their own choices and then experience the pain in order to know the result of their choice. People gain knowledge quickly from experiential learning. As they experience the pain, within the context of their situation, heightened learning takes place.