Lent

I know a man who suffers from neuropathy. His feet are totally numb. Last month he shoved his foot into his shoe and bent his big toe backwards. But since he couldn't feel his feet, he didn't notice and his toe broke. When I heard about this, I realized that although I don't enjoy pain, and most of us don't like to think about it, pain certainly has its purpose. If my friend had felt the pain of his toe bending the wrong way, it wouldn't have broken.

We're headed toward Lent where we'll read about and contemplate the passion of Jesus once again. I think God wants to help us understand that pain is vital for health. We need to know what hurts. Otherwise, we can't fix it. Jesus, in his wisdom, knew we'd all suffer pain at some time or another. And so, every year, we get the opportunity to watch again as he shows us how to suffer. Happy Lent.