The day I was induced with my first son, my husband also broke his thumb. Induction isn’t the smooth ride I hoped it would be. My labor took almost eighteen hours, and my doctor had to manually break my water (for the record, it really hurt).
In the first few hours, the contractions came in waves. As the pain escalated, David placed his hand in mine to comfort me. I guess he wasn’t thinking, because it was his hand with his newly injured thumb. A contraction hit just right, and I grabbed that thumb with all my might. He never flinched, only endured the pain with every squeeze.
The time for receiving my epidural came, and the pain eventually lessened for a while. But then, that stubborn youngin’ wouldn’t come out and my body didn’t fully cooperate, so they prepped me for a c-section. With the epidural meds already inside, they injected the medicines needed for the cesarian too. I’ll never forget the out-of-control feeling I felt after they delivered my precious first son.
But you know what’s interesting? When they wheeled me back to my room and placed my beautiful baby boy in my arms, I forgot about the pain. The pain simply didn’t matter
The same was true of David’s thumb. I squeezed it repetitively and he never once pulled away. He endured the pain for the greater good and the pain didn’t matter.
Friday, we had Tammy Whitehurst speak at our church. Much organizing and manual labor happened during the week and that night. I knew my body would not appreciate the physical part. Since being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia a year ago, everything I do must be modified to include rest and balance. Even with the accommodations, when Saturday rolled around, I was extremely achy and tired. I knew I was speaking at Honey Lake Clinic that afternoon, so I pushed the pain away a little longer.
Pain will come. Sometimes we can avoid it. But other times, we must choose whether the pain will be worth the process. To see all those women with bright smiling faces at the church event was well-worth the process. The opportunity to encourage a young woman while she was facing hardship in her personal life was totally worth the process. Joining with two hundred other women in worship was priceless. Sharing my own testimony and lessons learned about healing with men and women at Honey Lake Clinic satisfied my soul in the deep, hidden place.
Did the pain go away? No. I hurt all over. But the pain I feel a few days after a wonderful event or activity is worth it. I’d rather serve Jesus and have pain than live for myself and never hurt again.
Sometimes pain is worth it. Don’t let the pain stand in the way of what God is calling you to do.