Four years ago, I made a Facebook post which somewhat became a surprising comfort for me today. I honestly forgot what made me write it or what I was going through those times, but it was a good thing I did have that in my Facebook memory. Here it is.

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I went to bed late and woke up early with a new realization — a thought that led me to sleep last night soundly:

Pain is a good teacher. 

God allows pain to mark lessons deep in our hearts. It teaches us to respond better.

It teaches us to relate to people better. We know how to help them and comfort them.

It teaches us to value ourselves. You learn to break free from the cause of it, knowing it hinders our potential to do great things.

It teaches us to value people. Pain can sometimes be caused by the expectations placed on ourselves (and sometimes that expectation is caused by what we believe will help us feel belongingness). Once we don’t meet it, it causes us to either frustrate or simply feel more insecure, making us even more depressed. But acknowledging this pain can also teach us to value people over the task. It helps us see that more than the goal, people matter… no stone left unturned — every person matters — as God revealed to me last night as I cried out that pain…

It teaches us to step back and look at both people and the process.

It causes us to check on others and ask how they were and if they are okay

It causes us to encourage

It causes us to be more sensitive to their needs

It causes us to make time for people — putting down our work to just be there for them.

The best part, it causes us to be the leaders that build lives who in turn can build skyscrapers!

Summing it all up, pain teaches us COMPASSION… a quality Jesus possessed that made Him stop to heal, preach, and give his life to redeem the world.

Pain is part of life, and by acknowledging the suffering we have to endure for Christ, we also partake and acknowledge how He suffered for us on the cross, which leads us to His saving grace.

So embrace the pain and let it teach you to be the leader you are meant to be.

Strong and compassionate.