Pain Is Inevitable. Suffering Is A Choice.
This week I interviewed Joe Petersen.
Joe was diagnosed 6 years ago with an incurable form of cancer.
His story of success, positivity, and the unknown of a diagnosis is powerful.
During our interview he said…
“Pain is inevitable…suffering is a choice.”
When he said this, I instantly felt so guilty.
Here sat a man with a form of cancer that could come back at anytime living his best life. He lives with joy. He focuses on others. He’s intentional with his kids. He has a zest for life.
Then there’s me. A guy that doesn’t have incurable cancer…but I can suffer with the best of them.
Here’s the question I asked myself after our interview…
Why do I choose to suffer?
I will intentionally pile on myself over and over again. If the pain wasn’t enough, I just keep on going!
While I work on myself…here’s a few thoughts I’ve had that may help you.
#1 - Have a Shift in Perspective.
If someone can have a positive outlook on life after a cancer diagnosis, what can you and I do?
Everything comes back to perspective.
We can live in and wallow in our pain…or we can see the other side.
This is where my positivity comes in handy.
I tell people often, I’m not a “glass half full” type guy, because I believe the glass is refillable!
How do we make this happen?
We think about others.
We meet people worse off than us.
We remind ourselves of the undeserved grace we’ve received in our lives.
Buy someone a present.
Call and tell someone that you love them.
Be an encouragement to someone else.
Start your morning with gratitude.
All of these things trick us to stop thinking about ourselves. It’s powerful.
#2 - Start Your Day Different.
When we’ve experienced pain and we are having a hard time moving through it, we need a literal change.
A change in routine is the easiest to make happen.
Start your morning with a workout.
Start your morning with gratitude.
Change your schedule to be able to take your kids to school.
Find a friend you can have breakfast or coffee with every Monday.
Sometimes we need a shake up to start thinking straight.
It doesn’t always have to be something big and significant. It’s often times those little tweaks that create the most gains.
#3 - Find Your Faith.
When you get hit with some serious pain…you can’t move forward on your own, it’s not possible.
Considering all the different people that read this….you will be affected by this in a unique way.
See if you see yourself in one of these people…
You are a “religious” person, but it’s never really been your thing…more of an upbringing.
You are a Christ-follower. You have that relationship. But you tend to treat God more like an escape plan instead of that daily communication.
You believe something is out there bigger than you, but you just aren’t sure what that looks like.
Religion just isn’t your thing. You’re not for it or against it…
You are atheist. You don’t believe there is a God.
Here is what I love…it doesn’t matter which of these you see yourself in…we are all the same.
Why can I say that? Because I believe God created all of us equal.
So it doesn’t matter what we’ve done in our past, all that matters is what we do next.
I’m here to tell you…suffering will always be knocking on your door if you don’t have a faith to fight it.
Jesus is my ROCK.
Any struggle I’ve ever had to face. Any pain that has come my way…Jesus is my saving grace.
There’s a supernatural power that comes in that relationship.
It’s a power that lets you endure more, face more, and expect more (from Him).
I’m not trying to convince you of something you don’t believe in…I’m just asking you to be open to whatever happens to your thoughts after you read this.
Pain is inevitable, suffering is a choice.
Don’t let your choice keep you from living your best life. You deserve better.
And if I can help in any way, please, please, please, ask me!
And if you want to check out the full interview…here you go.