No more pain

From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
pain (n) 1 : punishment, penalty 2 :suffering or distress of body or mind; also : a basic bodily sensation marked by discomfort 3 : great care 4 : one that irks or annoys


Pain. It's such an interesting concept. It's also something that, in a way, defines us. An ancient philosopher said, "Suffering teaches," and I believe he was right. We learn from our mistakes; we learn from the pain that we feel. In a philosophical way, pain (of the second definition) is a good thing in the end. The second and fourth definitions are most used by modern people. When we think of pain, we think of discomfort or annoyance. What is painful to you? There are the little things: the physical pain of humger, emotional pain of small disappointments, or mental pain of a difficult task. Unfortunately, those things are not the worst of the pain that we feel. In this fallen world, there is pain that is almost unbearable. The loss of someone close to us. Broken relationships. Disappointed hopes. Frail bodies. We humans face these and many more potent hardships often. Sometimes in the midst of all our pain it seems hard to believe that there is a God who loves us. Why do we suffer all this pain?
Revelations 7: 13-14, 16-17: "Then one of the elders asked me, 'These in white robes - who are they, and where did they come from?' I answered, 'Sir, you know.' And he said, 'These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb...Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Christ the Lamb suffered the same pains that we humans do. He chose to remain among us and feel our pain, and felt a physical pain - death on a cross - that most of us cannot imagine. He won for us the reward of heaven, a place where there is no more pain, not even discomfort. When we feel as if our pain is too great, we have the comfort of knowing that heaven is waiting for us. Now that, dear friends, is something to look forward to.