My Sore Back

What My Sore Back Has Taught Me

Originally written by Mike Mazzalongo, 5/2001.

One day you pick up a box or a book and "snap", you join the legions of back pain sufferers. I experienced the usual therapy and advice from my doctor who said, "manage the pain as best you can". This experience is not without its good side however, since it has taught me several lessons:

1. Pain is a Fact of Life

We try so hard to avoid any type of discomfort that when it comes, we're surprised. Solomon says that "There's a time to heal" (Ecclesiastes 3:3), and that suggests that in every life there is pain. Once I accepted the fact that my back would not return to its normal state, it made the mental adjustment to living with pain much easier.

2. There are so many "quiet heros"

I never noticed how many people had to deal with suffering on a daily basis. But now I see and have a greater respect for those who are moving a little slower, smiling with a little more effort but manage to earn a living and serve the Lord without complaint or bitterness.

3. Nothing can separate me from God's love

I realized that pain can separate me from many of the pleasures of this world but it has no power to interfere with my relationship with God. If anything, my time with Him has grown sweeter since.

In the end, the most unusual thing has occurred: I've learned to thank God for my sore back since through it He has focused my life, given me appreciation for others and drawn me closer to Himself.