BLOGGER
The war against pain
Pain. We try to avoid it but we couldn't. It's part of life because we live in an imperfect world wherein people, in their quest for what the want, can affect us. Forces of nature can also shatter our expectations and cause us to lose what we hold dear.
When my husband died, feelings of betrayal, anger and so much pain engulfed me. I had to drag myself daily to face my normal routine and put up a brave front so I could survive the ordeal. I knew fully well that it will pass and I don't want to be left with a shattered future because I decided to let pain win.
My friend Rose and her husband had along distance relationship after getting married. While she was in the United States, she found out that her husband, who is in the Philippines, was having an affair with his secretary. Rose became clinically depressed. But, with the help of family and friends, she handled the pain gradually by accepting that he does not love her anymore and that she has to move on. Their marriage was annulled in 2007 and she has indeed moved on. She's having a time of her life --- giggling like a school girl every time she falls in live, busy helping out family and friends with their live and enjoying her work.
Brenda and Mark had been bestfriends since college. Brenda had been in love with Mark that long, too. So, she was devastated when Mark fell in love and went steady with Jessa. Unable to accept it because the pain was so deep, she tried to break up the relationship by telling Mark some lies about Jessa. The Mark-Jessa relationship faltered for quite sometime because the guy trusted his bestfriend. But, truth has a way of coming out and Mark found out. He ended his friendship with Brenda, so the latter lost the one person she worked hard to keep in the first place.
Pain can cause you to do many things. How you deal with it can make or break you. I've always considered that life is a spiritual battlefield. One entity in this battle is pain. I think it was created to challenge our willpower. It's like an enemy that irritates you, saps your strength and destroys your focus on things that are "right." When handled improperly, it can cause crimes, drug addiction, suicide, lunacy and more. Thus, pain can't be allowed to win.
Time heals wounds and life always gets better. My mom, who is no stranger to pain, gives this advice. "Read a lot of inspiring Bible passages that will help you regain your strength and focus on doing the right thing. Accept your fate and move on."
Jane J, an events organizer, shares this advice after a heartbreak. "Make yourself busy. Pamper yourself with the good things in life. Live, breath and think on the thought that it's his loss."
Aika, a student of Nursing, said, "Emote, let off steam and let go."
And lastly, in Josh Groban's song, "You Are Loved," he says and I think this applies to God's ability to make things better, "Don't give up. It's just the weight of the world. When your heart's heavy, I will lift it up for you."
(Peace! Share your battle with pain to katvillalon@yahoo.com)