Pleasure in Pain

Hurt so good. Through the years, I have heard this saying/song many and as a kid I didn’t understand it at all. How could something that hurt be so good? Not really going into the song, can something that hurts be good? It makes me think of going through pain for the greater good.

Pleasure can come through pain. If you watch the Biggest Loser you watch people that didn’t work out and now train hard to lose weight. It is not an easy task, but at the end of the show you are simply amazed at the results. For reality TV it is one of my all-time favorite shows. There is plenty of pain to see those people lose hundreds of pounds and not only change their lives but the lives of the people around them. The training is tough, can you be excited in the rough times?

Is it ok to have an attitude in suffering? The Bible is a noble concept when it comes to this subject. Listen to what Paul shares in Romans 5:3-5…

“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Nobody who wins an Olympic medal is done by skill alone. They are in strict training, when Michael Phelps didn’t do so great this Olympics it was because he didn’t train like he did in the previous Olympics, it showed. Yet Phelps worked harder than anybody has a clue. Training all day long without the thrill of that gold medal years down the road, Phelps worked hard. You can grow through the tough times.

Maybe it’s not because of training but real life can take a toll on you. There are always rough times ahead, through the rough times, what do you do? Do you hide from a challenge or do you work through it. Just like Paul talks about, through suffering there is so much benefit it makes who you are today and in the future. Fight through the tough times just like a line in a movie, “Never give up, never surrender.” Hang in there. God is with you when you call on him and is there to comfort you.

Have a great day.

Strong but not because of steroids

What makes you strong? You could say lifting weights, exercise or another form of working out can make you strong. That covers the physical aspect but what makes you mentally strong? There are a ton of talented people out there who are gifted in so many ways that aren’t mentally strong.

Sports have an interesting role in this. There are sports that are individually based that require so much mental strength, running, swimming and golf come to mind. When you have to perform your best and it’s all on you.  Earlier last summer I was playing in a disc golf tournament, I had a chance to win my division with several holes left. I tried to dial into another level and tried really hard, the result was the opposite. I fell apart and finished third or fourth.  Being mentally tough matters and sometimes we just don’t have it. What does it take to make you mentally tough?

Paul has an interesting take on strength that I think can play into being tough mentally. Romans 1:11-12…

“I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.”

Encouragement by each other’s faith can make you strong. You can be lifted up by other people and what they are doing with their lives. There are people I look up to and really have a lot of respect for.  Some of these people I long to be like. ne of the people I have always looked up to is a professor at Great Lakes Christian College Alvin Kuest. He is one of the most graceful people I have met and shares a genuine love for everyone.  I hope you have people you look up at and if you don’t to find someone.

Not only are you encouraged by them, they can be lifted up by you. Just because you look up to someone doesn’t mean you are garbage compared to them.  This scripture talks about by each other’s faith.  You don’t just look at their faith, but they can look at yours too and there can be a mutual form or respect.  Do you have mutual respect for someone else? If not what can you do to make this happen.

Being mentally tough is a challenge.  Yet when you have others helping you out, challenging you and you challenging back its iron sharpening iron.  Making each other better can be a great benefit. Are you living a life others want to be like? Do you have someone you look up to or have a mutual respect for? If you answer no, start changing what you are doing in your life and what can you do to make it better.

Have a great day.