Letter: Reader mirrors Terry Anker

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Terry,

I enjoyed reading your commentary this evening entitled, “No Pain: Right of Passage” (Aug. 18) and appreciated you questioning about whether we can choose to live a life without pain.

I know of no way we can avoid pain in our lives, but how we deal with the pain has as much to do with whether the experience will leave a permanent scar, or strengthen one’s character.

Psalm 13 is a wonderful psalm of lament. In fact, the psalm expresses the raw emotions of one who is in the depths of a painful and hopeless situation with no answer or remedy.

However, even in the midst of their plea, the psalmist realizes, or acknowledges, that they can turn to their Lord, who is trustworthy and has dealt bountifully with them in the past.

I heard preached that the journey from fury to faith has to go through lament and in that moment the person’s helplessness is their greatest prayer to God. Lament primes us to experience our greatest moments by allowing our human impotence to come across Godly impotence.

While no one intentionally seeks out painful experiences, I know the power that lament has in increasing my faith and making me into a more courageous man.

Chris Johnson

Chief of Staff

Indiana Family Social Services Administration


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