The Problem of Pain...

I'm not really sure why this "title" has been swimming around in my head all morning, but it has.

And it seems as though we Christ-followers aren't always ready to "answer" why we have the problem of pain.

And yet, so many of us really do deal with incredible pain:

Pain in our bodies
Pain in our relationships
Pain in our local churches
Pain in our job situations
Pain in our families

Pain, pain, PAIN!

I'm not sure of the exact source, but I do remember hearing someone quoting C S Lewis, "Pain is God's megaphone." Whether the late and great Mr Lewis said this or not, I'm not able to verify right at this moment.

But this much I can verify:

Pain is a part of life. There is no such thing as "Pain-free" living. Of course those who want to live "pain-free" can certainly do that...while they are living in absolute denial also.

What do we do with "the pain?"

Some answers are very simplistic:

"Give it to the Lord, and let Him take care of it."

I agree, and I often want to do just that.

OR

"Just forget about your pain, it will go away."

Yep, bet you've done that a bunch of times, huh?

So how do we Christians handle the "problem of pain?"