Pain. It takes many forms and finds us in many ways - a phone call from a doctor, a signature on divorce papers, a negative pregnancy test, the slamming of a door, the closing of a coffin. The list of things that weigh us down or cause us to hurt is extensive, and we only seem to add to it, never take away. Pain is a reality of life, and for some, life feels like it is pain.
One of humanity’s greatest gifts (and despite what we might think when we watch the news or encounter people in our everyday lives, humanity has many gifts) is our ability to empathize with one another. For most of us, the first time we skinned our knee, we were comforted by someone who had, at some point in their life, skinned their own knee. Grief support groups form so naturally because of the shared pain experienced when a loved one passes away. We seek the comfort of people who truly know what it feels like to go through what we have gone through because their consolation carries authority and offers hope. The bond formed between one person who is suffering to another is genuine and deep. Knowing that another person has walked or is walking the same difficult path makes the journey less lonely.
How immensely blessed we are to have a God who loves us so much that He came to earth and lived our experience. How immensely blessed we are to have a God who loves us so much that He intentionally stepped into human pain and empathizes with us. How immensely blessed we are to have a God who not only walked the same difficult path that we have walked while sharing in our pain, but continued on and took that pain - His and ours - to Calvary.
When we are aching in mind, body, or heart, look upon the crucified Christ. The nails in His hands, the thorns on His head, the stripes upon His back are markers of the great authority of His consolation towards us and the incredible hope that it represents. When we are aching in mind, body, or heart, turn to Jesus - He feels our pain.