Is there a purpose for pain?

Tony Dundy adopted a son named Jordan in 2000. This young boy was in the hospital for a few days after birth before he was allowed to bring him home. “Just running a few more tests,” they were told by the doctors and nurses. Of course, both he and his wife assumed this was normal procedure when adopting a newborn, although at one point it did concern them that maybe the birth mother might be changing her mind. But the agency told them not to worry and all the tests had turned out fine.  However, they both thought it was a little odd that Jordan didn’t cry when he got his first set of shots.

One afternoon when the boy (Jordan) was about five months old, Tony was home alone with the boy– when he fell off the bed. And didn’t cry. This is what Tony and his wife Lauren found out about their son Jordan, and what it taught me about life. The following if from Tony Dundy’s book.

“We took him to a pediatric neurologist in Tampa and started asking more questions. We learned then that unlike most babies, Jordan hadn’t cried in the hospital after birth when he was given eye drops. The neurologist suggested we take him to the University of Florida for more definitive tests. The doctors in Gainesville gave us the answer: Jordan is missing a gene, it turns out, and therefore doesn’t feel pain the way other people do.”

Pain protects us.

Through Jordan’s condition we all can come to realized that God has a purpose for pain: to protect us. God uses many things to show us what to avoid, and painful consequences often teach us lessons quickly. One example Tony gives of Jordan is that like most kids, Jordan loves cookies. Warm cookies certainly aren’t bad for you, at least in moderation (like many things in life). But they are harmful if they’re still in the oven. Jordan would reach right in and pull out the piping hot cookie sheet with his bare hands. Then he would begin to eat the cookies without realizing he was burning his hands and mouth in the process. Even a trip to the emergency room didn’t help him understand that he was injuring himself because he couldn’t feel it.

Pain changes behavior.

Tony and his wife Lauren had to teach Jordan the consequences of right and wrong and dangerous activities in order to protect him. Pain was not available to him as a teaching tool. This is the way God uses pain (physical and non-physical) to protect us from further negative consequences down the road. With Jordan, this has become obvious to Tony and his wife. Pain prompts us to change behavior that is destructive to ourselves or to others. Pain can be a highly effective instructor.

Like Tony and Lauren, I view the past pain in my life, as a special blessing. I am grateful for the experiences and opportunities God has use pain to shape my life…we all should, and to be healthy we must.  Jordan personally illustrates this for all of us as it did for Tony and Lauren.  Watching the impact, that single gene had on Jordan and his parents (and now us) should remind us how intricately each of us has been designed and created. I am continually amazed at the wonder of God’s most complex creation—people. The line between what we consider special, or detrimental is so fine. With God, the line does not even exist, “all things work to the good of those who love him, who are called to his purpose.” There simply are so many varied and delicate pieces that contribute to the balance and beauty of the whole picture of life.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *