metaphors for dealing with sufferings

Metaphors for dealing with sufferings

1

Test

When you write competitive exams

such as IAS, IIT, IIM, you are prepared

to study very hard. If you score high,

you are rewarded very well. Take

suffering as a test to prove your

worth. You will cherish those

moments of trials later.

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Purification

Suffering is purification like gold

heated in kiln. Impurities are burned

away and what remains is pure gold,

which is whole, acceptable and

precious to the creator. God is holy

and he expects you to be holy.



Cleaning and Healing

When you are injured, nurses may

wash your skin with a disinfectant such

as Dettol. Impurities are washed away.

Pain is just a predecessor for healing.

Suffering can remove your ego and heal

the mind.



Transformation to a diamond

Charcoal becomes diamond under

intense heat and pressure. Similarly

sufferings make you a sparkling

diamond when you surrender yourself

to God. If you want to become a

diamond, why resist sufferings?



Quarry

Life is a quarry – you will always find

some people breaking the rock, drilling,

firing, hitting, breaking into small

pieces, etc. But finally, the rock reaches

various places and transforms into

magnificent edifices. Similarly, God

moulds us into our true magnificence,

using people around us. Suffering is a

part of the polishing he does.



Gateway to glory

There are several people who got

transformed after going through an

intense pain or a period of suffering.

Suffering is the gateway to grace and

glory. Who are your heroes? How did

they gain their inner strength? How did

they respond to their challenges and

sufferings?



Oyster Pearl (Muthuchippi)

We can respond to suffering in many ways:

ignore, protest, accept or transform. When

a grain of sand or particle goes inside an

oyster, it is irritated, but accepts the reality.

In order to protect itself from irritation, the

oyster will quickly begin covering the

uninvited visitor with layers of nacre, until

the iridescent gem is formed. It transforms

an unfavourable situation into a precious

gem.



Giving medicine to a child

Child may not like a medicine, but

parents administer medicine even by

force, because it is required for their

well-being. Similarly God allows certain

sufferings to his beloved ones, because

it is life-saving.



Doctor performing a surgery

Imagine a Doctor operating a patient

for appendicitis; it creates pain, but is

necessary. Period of suffering is a time

to reflect, repent and to take course

correction; also a time to get rid of the

causes of pain.



Life Jacket

Sometimes people may become

complacent, lose their vigilance,

become arrogant, get into bad habits,

or may do evil things. This may make

them spiral down in deep water. On the

way, they may face a painful

experience, which will force them to

take a course correction. Here, the

associated pain becomes their life

jacket.



Bouncing ball

Imagine yourself as a bouncing ball,

who can bounce back from any

calamities or challenges. The harder

you are hit, the higher you will rise.

Recall your true magnificence.



Gift/treasure

Christian suffering is not a curse, but a

gift of God. It gives you new

experiences, it strengthens you, it

teaches you new lessons, it helps you

experience God, and it enhances your

ability to take pain for a great cause.

The experiences you gain during

suffering are treasures indeed!



Fly banging a window

When you face the same problem again

and again, know that it is time to

change the strategy to deal with the

problem. You don't want to be like the

fly that keeps banging itself against the

window, trying to get through the glass.



Changing seasons

We all have ups and downs in life. Compare

this to the changing of seasons. No season

lasts forever because all of life is a cycle of

planting, reaping, resting, and renewal. So

make the best use of each season. Use

painful times to clean the clutters, learn

new things, develop new skills, try new

ideas, gain strength, pray, move closer to

God, grow spiritually, and so on.

Remember ‘This shall too pass’.



Life is an adventurous journey

Life is like a river flowing. What makes a

river beautiful: the rocks, waterfalls,

the whirlpool, the white bubbles, the

ups and downs, the uneven banks,.. . In

a way, it is the challenges and sufferings

that make our life exciting and

beautiful. It is in suffering that we

experience deep love.



Power House

During suffering a lot of emotional energy

is released. It is possible to harness this

energy for useful purposes. A river flood

may be damaging, but when it is

channelled with a dam and a power house,

it generates useful electricity and irrigates

land. For converting suffering into

blessings, you need to simply surrender

your pain to God and pray for your

intention.



Signal of life

A woman goes through pains/disturbances

during pregnancy, indicating life in her womb.

Christian suffering is a signal that Jesus lives in

you. Here you accept reality as it is, without

complaints and feeling detached; you let go

of any hurt feelings; you trust God that he

loves you, cares you and guides you; you will

feel gratitude even for the sufferings. You see

suffering as an opportunity to glorify God. You

become closer to God and start experiencing

his presence with more intensity.



Currency to acquire greatness

Suffering is the currency with which you acquire greatness.

No pain, No gain. Christian suffering is a privilege. Once

you start embrace suffering, suffering may not exist as we

understand it today, instead it will be joy. Every intense

pleasure/joy is preceded by a pain. Ex., delivering a child,

delivering a project, winning a prestigious competitive

exam, acing an interview, publishing a book, delivering a

speech, releasing an art work, starting a business, an act of

self-discipline (ex. fasting), long periods of separation

followed by an intimate hug. In fact, you may observe, the

more pain you embrace, the more pleasure you will have;

the reverse is also true, the more pleasure you chase, the

more pain you will invite.

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Embrace suffering

Don’t worry, by embracing suffering you will not get

more sufferings, but your attitude towards suffering

will change and you will start associating useful,

interesting meaning to it. That will give you strength to

pass through the period of suffering gracefully. People

with spiritual gifts usually have a ‘suffering’ as their

companion. Saints such as Sr. Alphonsa of

Bharananganam used to pray for more sufferings than

what she had; a lot of people have found inspiration

from her life and her place has become a pilgrim

centre.

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How to leverage suffering

Take suffering as a cleaning and

strengthening process. Suffering gives you

opportunities for purifying your mind,

forgiving, healing inner wounds, dropping

ego, gaining inner strength, focus,

innovation, learning lessons, success,

greatness and so on. It is a GIFT of God. So

convert suffering into gems/value for

yourself and others; use it for experiencing

God’s love, care and power.

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