12 Huge Mistakes Parents Can AvoidSample

We Value Removing All Pain

Crying? Here’s a pacifier. Teething? Here’s a tablet. Can’t sleep? Here’s some baby Tylenol. Snotty nose? This gadget will suck it out. Gassy? We’ve got something for that, too. All this pain relief happens just before our children turn one! It’s not all bad, either. Our desire to distance our kids from pain is so strong it’s probably innate. Yet, as we continue the trend, we have to realize the consequences of removing all pain.

When astronauts are in a space station, they could be up there for months without the weight of gravity to make their muscles work hard. The result? Muscle atrophy. Astronauts were coming back so conditioned to the ease of movement in space that walking on earth was a belabored chore. It was serious enough that NASA had to design extremely expensive equipment to simulate weight lifting, bike riding, and walking under the normal gravity we experience on Earth.

Removing pain from all the situations our children face is like sending them into their future in a padded shuttle without gravity. When they get there, they won’t be able to function under the weight of reality. Tim agrees, “When we take away pain, [our kids’] ability to endure hardship atrophies.” The Apostle Peter, who witnessed the excruciating pain Jesus experienced on the cross, also agrees. He wrote in his first letter to early Christians, 1 Peter 2:21 NLT, For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. …

So, instead of removing all pain for our children, we need to guide their response to pain. We can help them to see pain as a temporary difficulty that often carries a long-term benefit. We can tell them stories of how pain helped us get stronger. Most importantly, we can remind our children that we always have the company of Christ in our pain.

Pause: How can I help my children find comfort in their pain? Do I avoid my own pain? Jesus, will You show me Your presence in my pain?