Absolutely Yours

“Lately, Allen, I’ve been in a lot of pain. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’m averaging a 20. If you were in my shoes, how would you deal with this spiritually?”

You Don’t Have To Put Up With Pain

Pain seems to be an invincible opponent. It even boasts the power to derail your best attempts to pray, leaving you spiritually defenseless – like a declawed cat fighting a rottweiler. I have experienced the kind of pain the reader mentions, and I assure you that you can eliminate this deceptive presence. Not merely cope with it, but completely eliminate it. It’s a challenge, but you can meet it.

The Holy Bible says, “With God all things are possible.” Here’s my paraphrase: With God’s Allness as your starting point, it’s possible to prove the nothingness of anything unlike God – even pain.

This Denial Did Work, … However

I started my journey to the Absolute, like many of our readers, by way of metaphysics – affirmations and denials. In my late teens I latched onto this denial “Pain, sickness, poverty, old age and death cannot master me, for they are not real.” Whenever I seemed to experience any type of body pain, I reached for that denial. Not because I expected it to work magic on the pain, but because I felt the statement was true. Pain is not real. It always worked … until it didn’t.

I Had To Do Something Different

One day I lay in bed curled up like a cocktail shrimp. The pain was at the 20-level. This went on for more than 24 hours. I repeated the denial over and over, but the pain didn’t subside. I knew more was needed.

Curled up in pain, I said, “Allen, God is all you have, so let’s resolve this.” I prayed, “God, it appears that I’m in great pain. My joints, even my organs hurt. Is this true? Am I really experiencing this pain?” I was not addressing a God outside of me, but rather the God of my Being. Essentially, I was talking to my Self.

I was so intent on knowing the answer to my question that I momentarily forgot about the pain. Throughout the night I questioned and listened. It seemed as though nothing was happening. Then, like a dark room that is suddenly flooded with sunlight, “my” Consciousness was flooded with Peace. I basked in it for as long as I could. As you’ve probably guessed, the pain was gone and never returned.

Do You Know What Pain Signifies?

Since then, I have experienced pain, but my attitude toward it has changed. For those of you who’ve read Marie Watts’ You Are the Splendor, I’m sure you remember the analogy of the dinner bell.

The dinner bell was once used to alert the household that dinner was ready. When the dinner bell rang, you stopped whatever you were doing and rushed to the dinner table. The dinner bell alerted you to a tasty meal. Once everyone was seated around the table, the bell stopped ringing. Its job was done.

Pain, like any problem, is not a bad thing. It’s the dinner bell that is alerting you to something wonderful – the Presence of God. No, God is not causing the pain, but the pain (like any other problem) signals there is a God-fact waiting to come forth in your awareness. As soon as the God-fact is known, the pain stops. The pain has done its job.

Essentially, pain or any other problem is saying, “Hey Johnny, I have something new to reveal about God’s Presence, and you really need to know this.” Like the family responds to the dinner bell by coming to the table, you respond to the pain (bell) by “listening” prayer.

Getting Rid Of The Pain Is Not The Point

But you must be mindful of your goal. The goal is not to get rid of the pain. Your aim is to discover the Truth the pain is drawing your attention to. In prayer you may ask, “What is the Truth I need to know?” Although it is possible for the answer to be revealed in an instant, you may have to do this many times throughout the day.

Many readers of my books and this blog tell me that they’ve tried this approach but the pain or problem didn’t go away. I always answer with this question: “What Truth did you discover?” If the answer is none, they weren’t done. Following the suggestion of this post, you must be focused on the discovery and not the relief from your condition.

Reader, heed this advice: Don’t tie your feet before you start the race. Do not permit yourself to think, “My pain is so great I can’t get still.” You can. And you will prove to yourself that not only can you get still to “hear,” but you can experience moments of bliss.

Should you ever seem to be in pain, or should an insurmountable problem pop up, give this approach a try. It works!