old saying

There are old sayings like, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

One that I think of from time to time is a little different.  I don't know who first wrote it.  Some philosopher.... maybe Anthony DeMello.

Anyway, it goes like this: "you can be in pain and suffer, or you can be in pain and not suffer."

Most people hate this saying.  I had a staff person years ago that ridiculed me when I said it in a sermon.  People hate this saying because it invites us to make friends with pain.  That is never an easy thing.

If you are like me, life is not always unicorns and rainbows.  If you are like me, you have pain from time to time.  Sore joints, dreams deferred, children away, and general loss.  Seems like the older we get, the more we collect.

In our lifetimes, we have met people that complained about everything.  Even the smallest hangnail was a disaster to them.  The sky was always falling.  Then we have also me those who faced real life challenges:  illness, death, loneliness, heart sorrow.... and they kept their chin up.  Yes we have met those heroic few who somehow still see the good.

That is what I want to be like.

And I am going to keep saying to myself:  you don't have to suffer.  I don't have to suffer.  I don't have to focus on the pain.  I can keep working to see the good in life.

It is not easy, but I think that it is true.,.. you can be in pain and suffer, or you can be in pain and not suffer.  I continue to work on this.  Chin up.  You don't have to suffer.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.