I took a barbell weight lifting class today at the gym. As happens often when I exercise I learned a little bit along the way. The teacher (who does a great job inspiring just by the great shape she is in!) was talking us through a tough set of lifts and she was talking about pain. She said something to the effect that the pain or muscle fatigue wasn't telling us to stop - it was telling us that change was on the way. She said, "I know you want that change, and that's why I'm here - to help you find your way to the changes you're looking for." As she said this I swear she was looking right in my eyes....it was powerful. Change comes after we do the work, change comes often after the pain.
Think of the times in your life when you've felt pain and you've wanted more than anything for the pain to stop. You wish it would just go away and you could go on in your life like you had before. But guess what? There is generally something better on that other side of the pain - a new version of you, a change. Sometimes the change is good, sometimes it leads us to more pain and even more change than we had bargained for - but in my experience the pain almost always leads us to something better in the end.
The pain from the blisters after a long run - brings changes and calluses that help you run even further next time. Not only that, but I love the feeling of putting on a pair of flip-flops after a long run and letting my feet breathe - it's a refreshing feeling I wouldn't fully appreciate without that momentary pain.
The pain from the loss of a relationship, or pain from friendships that might be in a troubling spot - help us to learn how to be a better friend or companion. Those moments of pain give us eternal insights into relationships and ways that we can change into the companion we are looking for.
Pain from a tough workout gives us new muscles, give us new limits and gives us a new confidence we didn't realize we had before picking up those dumbells.
Without pushing ourselves we won't change, we won't move forward. Rarely is the destination we really want to be at a downhill course. I believe more often than not it's up a sheer cliff that requires more muscle, more determination and more will than we normally realize at the beginning of our climb.
So think of the area in your life that you're feeling pain and then look a little further - does it bring with it the opprotunity for change in your life? If so, look at those opprotunties and get a move on - change is good.
I had a friend from our ward send me a link to a really great site that lets you read great books online while you are helping literacy charaties - http://www.wegivebooks.org/dashboard. My boys are actually clamoring right now to read a few books on the computer with me, so it interests them, makes me happy to see them excited about reading, AND for every book we read this charity will donate a book to the literacy charity of our choice. Awesome huh? So check out the site and maybe some of your children's summer reading can be for a good cause!
I hope this doesn't come across that I have "favorites" (because I don't) - but I just want to say I just LOVE my sister-in-law Kori! I just got off of chatting with her on facebook chat this afternoon and I just had that warm fuzzy feeling that reminds me that I have awesome people in my life. You know the way you feel after being with a great friend and you want to say a quick little prayer to thank Heavenly Father for putting amazing people in your path? Yeah - that feeling!
