Walking with the Wise #211: Pain Is Inevitable

“All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.”—Proverbs 15:15

Life is not fair. We are born into different situations and many different opportunities are afforded to us that are not afforded to other people. Some are born to well-to-do parents, while others are born into abject poverty. Some are born with difficult physical or mental conditions while others seem to have extraordinary gifts or talents. We did not choose when we were to be born, nor the circumstances by which we came into the world—nor did we give ourselves the capabilities or talents we have. It’s what we do with them that make us who we are.

Today’s proverb focuses on the days of the “afflicted.” The Hebrew word for afflicted -- “ani” -- can mean, “afflicted,” “humble,” and “oppressed.” The idea is that the afflicted are dealing with their affliction every day. When contrasted with the “cheerful of heart,” the idea conveyed is of one weighed down by anxiety, while the cheerful of heart is continually renewed. In short, as one pastor put it, “Pain is inevitable, misery is optional.” We may experience pain, but it’s how we respond to the pain in our lives that greatly affects who we are and how we live. We can’t change what pain we go through, but we can decide what we are going to do about it.

God wants us to find contentment in whatever situation we find ourselves—whether that be in affliction, or tribulation, we can choose to trust God or we can cry out in pain, demanding to be released from this burden we did not ask for, nor do we want, but more often than not we will hear God say,

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”—2 Corinthians 12:9.

Let us not be weighed down by anxiety, because if we do so our days will be continually filled with anguish, worry, and uncertainty. Let us focus on Jesus, so that the power of Christ might be seen in and through us, and His joy might become our own, for His glory and our joy.