Pastor Cecil Sanders
First Baptist Church, Headland
Ashlyn Blocker’s parents and teachers all describe her the same way: fearless. She is fearless because she has congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis, or CIPA — a rare genetic disorder that makes her unable to feel pain.
In the school cafeteria, teachers put ice in Ashlyn’s chili, because even though her lunch is scalding hot, she’ll gulp it down anyway. Ashlyn has bitten through her tongue while eating and once tore the flesh off her finger after putting it into her mouth. Family photos reveal a series of her self-inflicted injuries. In one, Ashlyn is in her Christmas dress, her hair is neatly coifed and she is smiling like a little boxer who won a prize bout with a swollen lip, missing teeth, a puffy eye and athletic tape wrapped around her hands to protect them. Tara Blocker, Ashlyn’s mother, said, “Pain’s there for a reason. It lets your body know something’s wrong and it needs to be fixed. I’d give anything for her to feel pain.”
As our bodies are meant to feel pain, so are our souls. Our souls are pained by loneliness, lack of love, abuse, loss of purpose, shame and bereavement. As difficult as soul pain is, we must realize it is a gift from God. Like physical pain, it alerts us to a dire problem that needs attention. Soul pain points ultimately to our separation from God and His love.
You were designed by God to enjoy an intimate and personal love relationship with Him. God created you out of His heart of love and for His love. Knowing Him intimately is life itself (John 17:3). Sadly sin has stripped you of this relationship for which you were designed. Apart from God, you are only a shadow of your original design. Not only you, but everyone — “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Consequently every human being feels deep soul pain that cannot be ignored.
Soul-pain medicines abound. Money, relationships, alcohol, illegal drugs, Internet pornography, romance novels and even busyness in church activity can serve as painkillers for the soul. After awhile, an overdosed soul is numb to its pain — numb to its longing for God.
How’s your soul today? Are you anesthetized? Are you numb? Or do you feel the gnawing pain of separation from God? Soul pain is good when it drives you to the One who can cure it. He’s the Great Physician. He’s the Lover of your soul. He’s Jesus. It pains Him to be separated from you. It pains Him so much that He suffered great pain to heal yours: “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet. 3:18). Jesus died to forgive your sin — the ultimate cause of soul pain. When you trust Him to forgive you, He does. He restores you to relationship with God. He gives you true and eternal life.
Be honest enough to admit your soul pain today. Be humble enough to ask for help. Don’t settle for simply numbing your soul pain. Ask Jesus to heal you with His love, because “[w]hoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13).
Share with others: