When the Pain Is Worth It

Have you ever uttered the words “Worth it!” after completing a challenge? This phrase often follows some physical task, and the accomplishment nearly erases the pain you just endured.

A few years ago my husband and I decided to give our children a week of vacation. Because I was a stay-at-home mom, money was tight. Yet we wanted to give our kids that feeling of doing something “special.” We searched for free and cheap activities and made our plans.

The first day we traveled out of town with my husband for his job. While he headed off to work, our three young ones and I explored a new city. On our last day we found a local park and discovered hiking trails leading to a pond. It was an adventure waiting to happen.

So off I hiked with a six-year-old, four-year-old, and one-year-old. And my walking boot.

Rewind three months with me, here. I was running in flip-flops when I rolled off the driveway and tore apart my ankle. Surgery wasn’t scheduled until late August, so I spent the entire summer lugging my immobilizing boot everywhere—even to bed. It was heavy. And stinky. And it weighed me down.

I hiked that boot around the pond multiple times that day. We explored every trail, every nook, and every grassy part. At the end of the day, I was tired and hurting. Three days of near-constant walking with the kids and the boot had taken a physical toll on me. My body ached beyond the pain in my foot, and I was simply exhausted. But I must say it was worth it to see my kids full of the adventure in life.

Sometimes we have to put aside what hinders us in order to find beauty. Hebrews 12:1 tells us to toss aside what weighs us down and the sin that entraps us. We are to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the one who endured the cross so he could find joy in us.

I like how the author of Hebrews separates what hinders us from the sin that entangles us. The word used for hindrance is defined as “a weight or mass.” It is physical. Our hindrances are not the same as sin; rather, they are the physical demands of the world that prevent us from moving forward.

What weights do you carry? Do you have an overwhelmed schedule? Are you overcome by clutter? Is your body weight preventing you from activities you once enjoyed?

Facing the things that physically hold us back is difficult. They are comfortable. It takes faith to lay them aside. It takes effort to get up day after day and treat our bodies correctly. We must find confidence to say “no” and take control of our schedules.

I did not allow the physical weight of the boot to keep me from hiking with my kids, and I will not let the burdens of the world keep me from running the long-distance race known as life. I must enter every day by surrendering the physical hindrances and the sin that entangles me to the God who loves me. I know it will be worth it when I find the joy waiting for me.

Will you toss off the burdens and focus on the joy?

Stacy Dickman loves all things creative. Living in Southwest Ohio with her husband and three children provides plenty of inspiration! Using her love of story, Stacy turns the ordinary into an encouraging adventure. With coffee and Jesus, she hopes to shine light into life by finding beauty in the everyday. You can find her at stacydickman.com.

Photograph © Tanguy Sauvin, used with permission