Diet & Wisdom Appetizers

For anyone who lives with daily pain – be it physical, mental or emotional, you know how debilitating it can be and how emotionally and physically exhausting it is. I’ve been living with physical pain for about six months now and some days I think I’ve more than had enough.

Trying to maintain a positive attitude in light of the chronic pain has presented certain challenges. One of the benefits to all this pain has made me more compassionate towards people who are battling terminal illnesses. I’m beginning to better understand how easily people can become addicted to drugs or alcohol. Anything that dulls the pain – even for a little, is a temptation.

I’ve never had a drug or alcohol addiction, but during the last few months I’ve reached for prescription pain pills on several occasions to dull the pain, if even for a short while. This need I’ve had to reach for synthetic pain relief has opened my eyes to addiction.

For those of us that battle food addictions, when we’ve felt the need to dull the pain of rejection, abandonment, abuse, etc, we’ve used food to anesthetize our emotions. I was guilty of that for so long, so I’m not standing in judgment of others. I understand the need to numb emotions. I’m not proud of the fact that I wasn’t a strong enough person to push through my pain and tough it out without the need of stuffing my face with food.

In the long run, stuffing my face only numbed the pain for a very short while and once the bingeing was over, the residual side-effects of the food kicked in, filling me with shame and guilt. Addiction is a vicious life-sucking cycle that robs us of self-worth, self-esteem and our dignity. Don’t you know that’s right where the enemy wants us!

I understand the need to dull physical pain with pain killers, but as with anything we must have balance. It’s important to closely monitor our dosage so it doesn’t end up controlling us.

If there is a bright side to my physical injury, it’s that I oftentimes don’t want to eat at all because the pain is so acute I’m nauseous. Emotional pain can be different in the fact that my emotions always need to be fed regardless of whether I’m hungry or not. So I suppose if I had to choose, I’d say I’d take this physical pain over emotional pain any day of the week because at least I’m not feeding my fickle feelings. See there’s always a silver lining!

From the bitterness of disease man learns the sweetness of health. ~Catalan Proverb

Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away. Psalm 90:10 (NLT)

PRAYER FOR TODAY: Lord, I know that even in the midst of pain you are with me and watching over me. I pray Father God for those that suffer daily with any type of pain. Be the healer of the sick and comfort those who mourn. Give me compassion for those that suffer daily. I ask all these things in your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.