At the church I serve we do this wonderful tradition of worship music and Good Friday prayer stations. The prayer stations are created by the teens and some adults. John and the worship band just play for two solid hours. People can come and go and have a Good Friday reflection using all five senses to experience what happened during Holy Week culminating with Good Friday. It is a wonderful experience if I do say so myself as the coordinator of the worship service.

One of the prayer stations focuses on the crown of thorns. The sense of touch is used to feel the thorns. The sense of taste and smell is used to taste and smell red wine vinegar as a representation of the painkiller Jesus declined to take while hanging on the cross (Matthew 27:33-34). The participants were asked—now that they’ve experienced that Jesus chose the pain of the cross—when pain can be beautiful. These are some of their responses. From real people living real lives.

Pain is beautiful when we can see what God can do with each and every part of our lives.

Pain is beautiful because I find out that I’m stronger than I thought. I really do overcome. Pain really does have an end. My life continues on.

Pain is beautiful when it bring mercy, freedom.

Pain is beautiful when we show it to others as a sign of the awesome power of God and his love and mercy that sees us through to the other side.

Pain is beautiful post workout.

Pain is beautiful when there is a lesson to be learned.

Pain is beautiful when you get to be with Jesus. (age 8)

Pain is beautiful when it reminds us how far we have come and how far we have to go.

Pain is beautiful when God is shaping you.

Pain is beautiful when it brings us closer to God!

Pain is beautiful when God is shaping you.

Pain is beautiful when we remember the pain Jesus suffered for us.

Pain is beautiful when you come out stronger than you went in.

Pain is beautiful when it is borne out of love.

Pain is beautiful when it’s over and we feel joy and peace again.

Pain is beautiful when it leads us to seek God—when it brings us to a place of deeper intimacy and trust.

Pain is beautiful when it leads to growth.

Pain is beautiful when you know it is happening for a reason!

Pain is beautiful when it helps alleviate someone else’s pain.

Pain is beautiful when it helps you grow beyond pain, fear, and yourself.

Are you inspired? May you find comfort and dare I say joy this Easter season as you navigate bravely the turns your life takes. How do you find pain to be beautiful?

Added note:  I sent to one of our sons who is serving time in prison all of these pain sentences too. This was his unasked for response back. Sometimes his perspective amazes me.

So much pain. Tupac has a song called “So Much Pain.” Excuse me, “Pain.” It was for the movie Above the Rim. The song was, is a good one.

Pain is the beginning of much beauty. That is a topic that can go on and on and on.

Yes. All those sayings are good ones because they are correct. Guys want to shy away from pain but its what makes us grow. The easy road is what most seek. A quick fix with no drama. But you know what we cant. Even God felt the pain to accomplish what he needed to get done. That cross was heavy. That thorn crown was pain. That whip for the scourging was a silencer. That was big pain and endurance. So we should take all that pain we get in life and learn from the experience instead of whining about the discomfort. Things get hard but, man, that’s the beauty in life. When you overcome something difficult or come out of a situation that you surely thought that you were a goner, that’s joy for the victor.

Things get hard but, man, that’s the beauty in life. Amen.

(photo credit:  https://blog.franciscanmedia.org/sam/jesus-crown-of-thorns)