Not to have had pain is not to have been human. (Jewish Proverb)
How our two older boys, Daniel and Issac, made it through life without breaking a bone is one of those modern marvels that is still a mystery to me. Our younger children, Erica and Jonathan were not as fortunate.
One night when Erica was four she rolled off her bed. She went through the normal routine of crying and I want my mommy, but I thought she was fine. The next morning she woke up screaming and off we went to the doctor. The X-ray revealed that she had a broken collar bone. Little Johnny was about three years old when he stood up in the recliner and tried to grab a pillow that Erica was swinging at him. His first attempts proved futile but he kept trying and finally grabbed it. The impact of the collision was just enough to knock him off balance and cause him to fall to the floor. On impact his little arm snapped between his wrist and elbow; and again we were off to the emergency room.
The doctor showed us the x-rays. “We will be putting his arm in a cast,” he said. “Doctor,” I asked, “will that area where John’s arm is broken always be weak and vulnerable to further fractures.” I feared that both Erica and John would suffer all their lives because of the breaks. “Sir,” the doctor informed me, “when that arm heals the broken place will become stronger than the rest of the bone. Calcium deposits will form around the break and weld it together, fortifying that area. The bad news—he may break his arm again. The good news; it is very unlikely that it will ever break in that place again.”
“God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds—curing their pains and their sorrows” (Psalm 147:3 Amplified Bible). He miraculously makes all things work together for good to those who love Him. Even wrongdoing serves us well when we humble ourselves and seek forgiveness. Pain is a deterrent, motivating us not to repeat a negative behavior. “Weakness deepens our dependence on Christ. The weaker we feel, the harder we lean. And the harder we lean, the stronger we grow. Living to love … and help others, even though every day you feel weak is true sanctification. It is true healing for the spirit. It is a supreme victory of grace” (J. I. Packer).