Showing off battle scars

There are many elderly people who attend our church. As the years go by, I really had not paid that much attention to how time was catching up with all of them. To me, they are still vital Christian people who continue to give their time and service to others. So it's been easy for me not to see a new limp in someone. Or a hand clutching the back in a way they never did before. Or grabbing hold of the stair rail so to walk carefully down and not risk a fall.


Today my eyes were opened as I noticed people gathered around an older gentleman who was proudly showing off his new knee and how easily he could now flex it. It stunned me to realize he had been in need of such an involved surgery. All I could see was the long scar, still new and fresh, not healed completely yet. But for this man, it was his scar from the Pain Battle, and he was happy to show it off.


His wife stood near by. I watched as she clutched her back in a way that was all too familiar for me. I'd  spent most of my day doing the same thing. I asked how she was doing–although the answer was so plain. This woman was definitely in Pain, and she explained about getting her injection and now the next step was surgery. My heart went out to her, and it hit me that I was surrounded by people in daily Pain. Here we all stood, with our own individual struggles of battling Pain. Yet we still found a moment to laugh, talk about our Pain and then move on to a lighter subject.


One lady came up to me and said, "I know you are in Pain. Your eyes are saying this is not a good day." I confirmed her thoughts but then pushed aside my issues to check and see how she was doing with her own health problems.


Sometimes we simply have to move away from our Pain Battles so we can reach out to others who are also suffering and feel the same frustrations and exhaustion that comes with daily Chronic Pain. If we stop long enough and truly listen to another human share their hurts, we can walk away better for the experience because we stopped and simply gave a glimmer of compassion by listening and perhaps giving an encouraging pat on the shoulder.


We all need each other in this long journey of Chronic Pain. Perhaps we become a prayer friend with another person who is hurting. Or we can offer a strong shoulder from someone to stop and lean against as they take a very needed break from the battle. Do not be hesitant to reach out and be there for one another. You never know just how much that person might be needing that friendly hello, a smile, words of comfort, and a promise of prayer.


Believe it or not, joy for me came today as I watched the man show his battle scar. There he stood with his pants leg rolled up, weathered cowboy boots showing, and a smile on his face that seemed to shout, "Look at what I went through to kick Pain away from me." Then I watched others cheer him on for his rapid recovery. Yes, joy can come in some unusual ways. So please keep looking for yours and know my prayers are there each day for all who suffer with Chronic Pain.