No Pain No Gain

My son at 16 years old is already 6 feet 7 inches tall. The crazy thing is, I think he’s still growing! I know this to be true because there are times when he tells me his knees are hurting. Reminded of my younger years I tell him, “Son, those pains are normal. They are called growing pains.”

The reality is, pain is a part of growing.  People often approach my son saying things like ‘boy what I would give for your height.’ It’s almost as if the end result of being tall makes them look past the pain of getting tall.  This scenario has made me think, to ask you a question: Would you be willing to endure short-term pain for a long-term gain?

Before you answer, think about it more. Maybe you have no desire to be taller but perhaps a desire to realize a restored relationship, advance your education, be promoted at work, or get in shape. The latter resonates with me. In the beginning of February my wife and I decided to go on the lemonade diet. For those familiar, the lemonade diet is a colon cleanse where over a period of up to 21 days you relegate yourself to eating no solid foods, and only consume a concoction made of fresh lemons, cayenne pepper, grade B maple syrup and water.

The first few days are ok but by day three you start to feel it. And in terms of cleansing your colon, you start to see it (yikes).  I’ll spare you the bitter details but by day five of not having food you begin to wonder how anything could be still coming out of you. The process is gruesome, but the purpose of the short-term pain is for the long-term gain of physical cleansing and health.  

Sure, when I was enduring this process, I could only seem to think about all the delicious foods I would eat when I finished. Nevertheless, I had to stay the course. I’m sure as a child I would never have considered attempting such a thing. But now approaching my mid 40’s and perhaps a bit more mature, I’m thinking beyond my present. I believe you are very much like me. So, when I asked if you would be willing to endure short term pain for a long-term gain, I think your answer is yes!

In fact, you do it all the time. Whether it’s working out, going to the dentist, or having a child, with a more mature perspective we are willing to endure short-term pain for long-term gain. The converse is also unfortunately also true. Sometimes I have forgone long-term gain for short-term pleasure. Just today while on a work trip, I ordered a delicious cinnamon pancake that was way too sugary and was certain to take me over my calorie count for the day. My 'in the moment' temporary pleasure was something I didn't look past. And as a result, I’m going to have to deal with the long-term pain of working out twice as hard later in the week.

While you may likely relate to these examples with your physical body, what about your spiritual body? How do you think about short-term pain for long-term gain in your spiritual body? Hebrews 11:25 reminds us that “…sin is pleasurable for a season…” Seasons are extremely short-term. The thought of short-term pain versus long-term gain has been something that has confronted me on more occasions than I can count. I often realize that being a Christian isn’t about ‘willing’ myself to keep a list of dos and don’ts by my own power. Being a Christian means being in relationship with Christ where He lives in me and empowers me to keep His commands. That may mean enduring temporary pain for a season; but hey, life is painful rather you are a Christian or not! The difference is that as a Christian, Christ is walking with and in you carrying you through the pain. The long-term gain is the forgiveness of sin, inheriting eternal life, and blessings beyond comprehension only found in God! Paul said it best in 2 Corinthians 4:17 writing, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."

With age I would like to think I have become more mature. With maturity comes perspective and a greater appreciation of time. Someone once asked me, “what’s any finite number divided by infinity?” At the time I couldn’t remember. Later I realized that any finite number divided by infinity is zero. In other words, heaven is infinite (its forever) and this life, whether you live one-year, 60-years, or 100-years, divided by eternity is a zero. No-pain, no-gain they say. I think I’m good with the trade.

I'd love to hear how this thought is relevant for you today; or how these thoughts after being put into action have helped you navigate your journey with others and with Jesus!