Choose Your Pain

Yesterday Rudy C. and I went to Urban Promise in Camden and he shared for a bit with their high school kids. He made a point that I will chew on for a while, which is that no matter how you slice it, life is painful. If you try to do the right thing, you will suffer loneliness, rejection, frustration, hopelessness, etc. If you give in and do the wrong thing you will feel the pain of regret.

Imagine being old and looking back on your life and sensing an overwhelming pain of regret. Compare that with the frustrations of holding out for the right things and suffering some frustrations along the way. The cumulative impact of doing the right things adds up to a tremendous blessing to others and a full life for yourself. The cumulative impact of the easy and selfish road is just a world of hurt for everyone.

So the bad news is that life is painful. The good new is that you get to choose your pain. Not bad.

That's the gist of what he said. Plus some other stuff. I thought it was a great thing to share with high school kids and guys about to turn thirty.