No Pain, No Gain.

I am sure that we have all heard the phrase of "No Pain, No Gain." It implies that if you don't experience pain, you are never going to get anywhere. I believe that this concept works for those who exercise, because when you hurt your muscles, you are actually making them stronger. But in life, I do not believe that is the case. We shouldn't have to go through pains to reach our goals.

In my life, I have taken roads that have caused me, and others, a lot of pain. In some ways I am grateful for those experiences. They made me who I am today. But I know that I could have avoided those certain situations, and that I still would have learned a great deal by avoiding them. We should never do something just for the sake of doing it, or to feel included, or cool. Making those types of decisions never end up being beneficial.

Sometimes we think, "Oh, I can handle it," or "This is just a part of life." We always have the ability to choose what we do. It's like if you come to a forked path. The one on the left is a shorter way to your destination, but it's full of dangerous animals and thorns. The one on the right will take longer, but it's nice and straight and clear. Sometimes we have to take the longer path in order to avoid pain.

I have experienced both ways, and I know that I want to take the path that is nicer. Obviously, there will be two paths that are both hard. But with faith in Jesus Christ, we can always choose the one that will be less hard and more rewarding. Only through Him can we know how to get through life.


So let's leave the "No Pain, No Gain" to those exercise kings and queens. We know that we can do things without having to experience the pain.