In my last entry I talked about some of the effects lingering pain can have on us.Today I want to say a little about how to cope with pain and the choices we have when facing pain.
Have you ever thought about the power God designed our minds to have? Electrical signals constantly going from every part of our body to the brain and back again. Power to feel, power to move, power to regulate our body temperature, pump our blood - to live, all controlled through the nervous system. I think I always took the power of our nervous system for granted until there was something wrong. Maybe it's the signals are malfunctioning because of a chemical imbalance as in the case of depression or anxiety disorders. Maybe the signals are telling your body that something is wrong when there isn't as in the case of CRPS. Maybe it's something different, but when our nervous system doesn't respond "normally" we being to notice the power of the brain and nerves.
Recently, family health issues have required me to learn a lot about how our bodies work. How God designed our bodies is SO incredible. There is an old saying "mind over matter". I never knew how true that could be. I am NOT saying we can "think away" real biological problems. I am saying I am in awe of how God gave us tools to cope with our hurts & pain. How we face our problems and pain in life can and often does have a DIRECT impact on the outcome of the situation. Believing things can improve, having hope, choosing JOY and positivity can help one cope with pain, sadness, despair.
I watched children (including my daughter) and families facing pain I hopefully will never have to endure. They coped with it sometimes with medicines but the meds are just a temporary solution. The true healing came from hard work - physical, mental and emotional. Changing their thinking, redirecting it from the pain, believing they can return to a normal life, choosing hope and joy was critical in their success (or not succeeding). There was no "cure" but through retraining their minds and bodies, they were able to return to normal life activities and cope with the pain their bodies were in.
As I reflect on this, I am reminded of Scriptures. God tells us to be thankful in ALL circumstances, to cast our worries on Him. God wants us to be filled with joy, hope and light. I can only assume that is because as our creator, God knows the power hope and joy have. Hope and joy, a grateful heart, a heart that trusts, instead of fears is not an easy task. It doesn't come naturally - at least to me. It is a choice I have to make daily, sometimes even hourly. Some days I succeed some days I don't. But each day, I will try to choose gratitude, hope and joy.
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