Pain is everywhere in life. It is unavoidable, and perhaps it should not be. Because pain allows us to learn new things in new ways. It changes us, altering our attitudes and perceptions. When we go through the pain of learning, we can grow in ways we had never thought possible before. As an educator, that growth allows us to teach what we’ve learned, and to share the pain with others as they seek to grow in the same way that we have.
Pain makes man think. Thought makes man wise.
Wisdom makes life endurable.
— John Patrick
Life is a quest in pain. It starts with the pain of birth and ends in the pain of death.
Pain is a contradiction. It teaches us when to stop and it reminds us to keep going.
Pain indicates when something is wrong and it tells us when we’re doing it just right.
Pain is a conviction, elevating our awareness of key decisions in moments of truth.
Pain is a test of conviction, deepening faith as we endure pain for greater purpose.
Pain is motivation, urging us to push through when mind and body say otherwise.
One word frees us of all the weight and pain in life.
That word is love.
— Sophocles
Pain is an unavoidable gateway to the transformation of educators and educational systems, but it does not arrive politely nor at a pace that mildly comforts and cajoles.
Pain most often brashly interrupts the moment like an unprofessional colleague, demanding all around to pay attention and figure out how to adjust accordingly.
Pain is prerequisite but how we respond to it is elective. That is, suffering is a choice.
We can choose joy in the midst of our humanity, refusing to let our light fail to shine.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
— Psalm 147:3
Learning is a pain because it's in pain that we most alter our thinking and attitude.
Pain is able to break through the shell of confidence that guards our understanding, enabling us to learn from uncomfortable information and insights to sensibly grow.
It is at the perimeter of pain and suffering that new levels of maturity are reached.
In the agony of it, we are challenged to develop new abilities and wisdom as the insignificant fades away, giving us clarity in our faith and the resilience to endure
Find gain in the pain. It’s there, growing in the faith and wisdom that come only through endurance.
