The Purpose of Pain
Pain and difficulties are largely accepted as a part of life, and there are many different philosophies that discuss their purpose. In my belief, pain is a necessary part in becoming the most authentic version of ourselves. Our pain teaches us how far we’ve moved away from our truest expression, and it slowly guides us back home to ourselves if we allow it to transform us through difficult experiences. As humans, we are often concerned with comfort and ease of flow in our lives. We sometimes find comfort in controlling our experiences, and we see any challenge in life as a direct attack on that sense of ease. We see difficult situations as obstacles in our way, and we see discomfort as our enemy. On the surface level, pain and suffering are necessary in life because they offer the gift of contrast that allows us to appreciate joyful experiences. On a deeper, more personal level this pain and suffering acts as an indicator to show us what we need to heal in order to move forward on our path.
These negative experiences mold and shape us like nothing else in this world, and they help us uncover new depths of strength and power within ourselves that would be otherwise unfathomable. If our comfort zones always remained unchallenged, we would be cursed to repeat the same cycles endlessly with no way out. If your circumstances are making you uncomfortable, it’s a sign that you’re meant for bigger and better things in life. If difficulty is painfully shaving off all of the parts of yourself that are incongruent with your true essence, it is truly facilitating your rebirth. You are becoming a new version of yourself that will no longer settle for life circumstances that are less than what you truly deserve. If we can begin to reframe our struggles into opportunities for growth and self-actualization, we can truly appreciate the highs and the lows of life equally. The highs and lows add up to a balanced experience in the end, so why are we taught to celebrate the calm without appreciating the storm?
Since human beings enjoy being comfortable, we tend to have a skewed viewpoint when it comes to categorizing good and bad experiences. That black and white mindset perpetuates the idea that we should do our best to control our circumstances and curate the outcomes in our life in order to maximize that comfort. However, I would argue that comfort is an illusion that relies on your fear of change to remain operational. Once you realize that change is both inevitable and always happening, you can accept that uncertainty is okay even though it makes us uncomfortable. If you can also simultaneously discover that your higher self and your spirit team are watching over you and guiding you along this journey, you can summon the trust and faith necessary to surrender to your path. Surrender opens the door to the unknown, which can be scary, but that same door leads to the path you were meant to walk in this lifetime.
If you can step fearlessly though that door with acceptance, you’ll see that you can endure everything that is laid out on that path whether it’s painful or pleasurable. When our comfort zones are collapsing around us, it can feel like we’re collapsing and dying as well, but if you hang in there long enough, you’ll realize that the pain has an end and your strength is great enough to face it until you reach the point of relief. Surrender helps you accept that you don’t always have the power to immediately alter your circumstances, and this acceptance unlocks the cage of control that has always existed around your comfort zone. Once we give up on the futile endeavor of manipulating our fate in an attempt to twist our destiny to serve our comfort, we can realize that our life path has been intelligently written to serve our highest good all along. This is why there’s so much freedom in letting go. Once you stop trying to control the uncontrollable forces of nature, you can enjoy the ride.