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A Right to Our Pain - and the One True Solution
My friend Barbara was a recovering addict who also battled severe multiple sclerosis. Her speech and jerky movements made people assume she wasn’t sober. But those of us who got to know her realized she had rock-solid sobriety and a deep spirituality that made others stronger by knowing her.
In 12-step meetings, people take turns sharing their experiences, strengths, and hopes. It’s common for people to walk in burdened, looking for relief. More than once, I saw someone go up to Barbara after a meeting and say something like, “I came in feeling bad about my problems, but hearing what you’re going through made me realize how blessed I am.”
Barbara wouldn’t let that slide. She would look them square in the eye and say: “God did not give me MS so that you could feel better about yourself. You have a right to your pain and to your problems, and I have a right to mine. Your pain and your problems are no greater or worse than anything I’m dealing with.”
Barbara’s words weren’t a rebuke to put people down—they were an act of love from someone with years of sobriety, reminding others that their pain matters.
We like to measure our pain, don’t we? Someone’s battling cancer and enduring chemo, while another person has a cold that wrecks their week. Someone is grieving the loss of a spouse, while another feels stuck in a marriage that’s grown cold. One person’s in trouble with a credit card bill, while another is staring down bankruptcy.
We all have problems, big and small. It’s human nature to compare them, but God never intended for us to rank our pain—or dismiss it.
This Sunday, we’ll look at Revelation 2:1-7. Jesus writes to the church in Ephesus, praising their hard work and perseverance. But he has one rebuke: “You have forsaken the love you had at first.”
Whatever burdens you’re carrying—health struggles, financial stress, relationship challenges—there’s one problem that’s bigger than all of them: the state of our relationship with God.
And thank God, there’s one solution to every problem we face: Jesus Christ.
You have a right to your pain, and I have a right to mine. I hope you will bring yourself, along with your pain and your problems to church this Sunday. I believe Jesus wants to look us square in the eye and shift our focus to the solution.
Grace and Peace,
Tom
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