The Problem of Pain

The Problem of Pain is a book that was written by C.S. Lewis, and we focused on the chapter entitled "Human Pain". This chapter was a bit overwhelming to me at first, but in a nutshell, I believe that Lewis was talking about human suffering. This is a different kind of suffering that happens when we encounter some sort of physical discomfort; rather, it's the ache we feel when something is unjust, or someone we loved has been harmed, or a dear friend/relative has passed away. Lewis says in this chapter how pain can both be a blessing, and also be a terrible thing due to a fallen world. In the last sentence of the chapter, Lewis says, "The Marxist thus finds himself in real agreement with the Christian in those two beliefs which Christianity paradoxically demands--that poverty is blessed and yet ought to be removed." Lewis also talks a lot in this chapter how ultimately, no matter what happens, we must turn to God in a time of pain. We absolutely cannot get through the pain we endure without Him.

This chapter had many great topics in it; however, it seems nearly impossible to talk about every issue it addresses. I'm going to talk about one specific topic that I thought Lewis wrote about beautifully and very relevantly. He used his own experiences to talk about what happens when one experiences pain. He said that he is normally "progressing along the path of life in [his] ordinary contentedly fallen and godless condition." He is content with what he has, and is comfortable plodding through life. When pain strikes, however, everything changes. He says, "At first I am overwhelmed, and all my little happinesses look like broken toys." He goes on to say, "I remind myself that all these toys were never intended to possess my heart, that my true good is in another world and my only real treasure is Christ." He then says that he turns to God for about forty-eight hours, until the initial threat of the pain is over. Then once life gets back to normal, he forgets about how much he needed God and goes back to his normal life.

I believe this happens too much in our lives. We only cry out to God in our lowest moments, and when we realize how much we truly need Him. As soon as the pain subsides a little bit, we get back into our daily routines of life and don't realize how blessed we truly are. This seems like a very dangerous mindset, yet all too common. I think that the only way we can combat this is if we try to remember that God has been with us at every moment, and will continue to be with us everywhere we go. If we realize this and thank God for every high and low moment, we may have a closer and more beautiful relationship with Christ than ever before.