Pain Runs Deep...

Sometimes in life, pain runs deep… what I mean by that is that sometimes we find ourselves in grieving circumstances, or painful situations, whether it be a result of our own doings, or someone else’s, that we wonder why we have to experience such misery. I know what that feeling feels like. At least to some extent. I know what it feels like to have someone let you down. I know what it feels like to give someone your heart, and have them break it. I know what it feels like when you’ve let yourself down. I know what it feels like… to fall. In life, we’ve all fallen to sorrow or misery in one aspect or another.

One of the first stories in the Bible is the story of the first man, Adam, and his companion Eve. In this story, Adam and Eve lived in a perfect place called the Garden of Eden. Adam was told by God not to partake of a certain fruit in that garden, or else he would be cast out of Eden, and left to experience a miserable world. We all know the ending to this story, Adam did partake of the fruit, and he and Eve were cast out. They experienced pain, suffering, sin, and misery for the rest of their lives.

 Looking on that story, we might be inclined to feel sorry for Adam. In relation to us, we might be inclined to feel sorry for ourselves when we see that in the present, we are experiencing pain or misery. I would invite you to look on your pains in a different light, however. There is a scripture in the Book of Mormon that talks about the commonality between misery and joy. It says:

“And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden…wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no ^bjoy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no ^csin.”

Sometimes in life, pain runs deep. We may experience pains that cause us to question if life is even worth it. On the other hand, life also hands us those moments of pure joy. We must realize that if Adam hadn’t walked the path of misery, he wouldn’t have known the path to joy. So when those painful moments come to you in your walk of life, remind yourself that you are quite literally walking the path that Adam has paved for you.   For “Adam ^bfell that men might be; and men ^care, that they might have ^djoy.”