Pain - is a great motivator

"The existence of suffering in a world created by a good and almighty God—"the problem of pain"—is a fundamental theological dilemma, and perhaps the most serious objection to the Christian religion. " C.S. Lewis: The Problem of Pain

Now I am not in the position to know all the reasons for pain. C.S. Lewis dedicated 2 books to the subject. But in this case there might be a use for it.

You see, I am typing this while lying on my back. Why you ask? Perhaps it is the latest trend in creative writing, yea that's it! More blood flows to the brain, etc…… No get real, It is because any other position hurts my back too much, (not nearly so glamorous.) So how does one hurt their back? It is particularly great when your spouse the question "Why did you do that?" So how is one to respond?? " Oh I just wanted to experience a new type of pain today, and besides, I thought I looked really cool all bent over while trying to walk. Basically it is a failure of taking care on oneself." I know that I need to do regular (read daily) stretches and exercises. It really does not have to be much but it does need to be regular. (Anybody else have an opposition to the word "regular"?) Am I doing them now? You bet!! I'm motivated, should I have great pain every time I move or do I do exercises?…….That is a tough one. Yet when the pain goes away, so do the exercises. Herein is the problem. Why do I require pain to do what I know needs to be done? If I was as bright as my dog, I would do the simple exercises so I don't have pain in the future. She learned very quickly that running past the "Invisible Fence" causes pain, so now she does not go near it. I even left the collar off for a week and she never tested it. So why don't I????? In a real sense I cause myself pain by not doing what is right. I'm not sure but I think my wife is looking into a shock collar for me…… Something about her eagerness to want to help me….

I think that part of the problem is that our bodies forget pain. We remember that we were in pain but we tend to forget the pain. Why else would women have another baby? The other is probably the bigger problem. We just don't behave well. We don't do the things we know we need to do and instead do what we should. How dumb is that?? How do we fix this problem? Even the apostle Paul, who had more motivation and ambition than most, struggled with this. See http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%207:14-25;&version=51;

Some thoughts on what to do:

If you don't like something, put together a plan to change it. Otherwise you don't really mind it that much. Write it down, commit to it, and let someone hold you accountable to it.

• Don't like being stiff and sore all the time – An exercise plan
  
• Don't like struggling with money – A spending plan
  
• Don't like my weight – A diet plan
  

See, that's not too hard, eh? I will say it is far easier to write about this than to do it. This also points to a fact that I cannot do some things on my own. OK, OK, there are a lot of things I can't do on my own. I need help and encouragement from friends, family, and from a God who knows me better than I do and promises to take the bad and turn it into good. Not a bad deal at all!

What about a spiritual plan???