The Thing About PainSample

Story Of Hope

Most of us have watched the legendary movie series of Rocky. What's the highlight of every part, it's the fight in the ring and the best part of the movie when Rocky knocks down his opponent and wins! And yet none of us fast forwards the movie to get to the best part, we go through the entire movie as the story takes us in a journey of perseverance, hard work, training, trials, dialogues and moments up to the climax. It gets us personally connected to Rocky. Imagine the movie only with the last fight scene and Rocky winning, forget making it legendary it would never make it to the next week of its release.

The point here is that we are neurologically wired for stories, a story that has a start middle and an end. Did you notice you are motivated and feel most connected to the stories of people who have tried with dying hardship, failed miserably and have yet dared to rise up. The greater the struggle and pain in journey the deeper your connection. Why this? It's because it gives you two prime things to connect; first that you are not alone, there is someone out there who goes through pain and second it gives you hope.

An excerpt from Roosevelt’s powerful quote "only the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly…who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."

Only this man knows what's it like being in there and no matter how close the audience is they will never comprehend his story being out of the ring.

Why am I inflicted with this pain? You may ask! You and I are called to be in the ring, in places where things seem impossible, where we hope against hope having our eyes set on our Author. The life of God in you does not make this life about you but makes you about life to someone around you. Own, integrate and share your stories bravely cause the world in despair needs you and your story of hope.

Let this be registered in your heart today as you meditate.