The Sensation of Pain

OK, so I've been thinking on this one for a while now. A few months ago while getting a massage my massage therapist said something about the pain that a massage brings that is actually helpful in loosening the muscles. Now thinking about that, isn't it true that when you stretch before a workout that there is a certain point of pain in those stretches that lets you know you are stretching the muscles? Now there is a difference between a good stretch feeling of pain and when you actually injure something, but I think most of us know the difference and can follow me on this point.

I've thought about it for quite some time, years even, that it might have been that some of the things we equate as pain today were once only a regular sensation. I think to when God first created mankind, and then to the fall. In Genesis 3:16 God tells Eve He will "multiply" her sorrow, or pain. In this I wonder if there was already that sensation of pain, not to the point of injury, but a sensation unlike anything I can explain. We know that because of the fall things are much different than they were at creation now that sin has entered into the world. Things that were once meant for good, now are spoiled and used for evil.

Think about it: man was told that his labours would be more difficult, not that now he had to work. There was work before the fall, but it was enjoyable, a daily part of life walking with God. Sex, which was once a pure act that God provided as part of His plan for the earth, is now misused and maligned in the world. Music, one of the most well known ways we worship God, and mentioned in scripture as such, now contains profanities and suggestiveness that does not honour God. Do we see the things in our world today that were once good and seek to recapture them for God, or do we simply throw them out as wasted and forget the gifts God gave to us at creation?

So how does this apply to pain? Well, I think of my own life and the lack of physical activity I do simply because I know I will feel "pain" afterwards. What is the purpose of pain? Think again of those stretches. It gives you a reference point for where you need to stop, and it helps you to know you're gaining flexibility and using your muscles. I know I'm often sore after a good hike or softball game, and that's a sign to me I'm using the muscles God created within my body for His glory. Pain also serves as a warning that there is danger. If you start to feel pain when you step on a nail, the first slight pain warns you that if you step further onto that nail, it will impail your foot. My dad complained once of pain in his chest to me on the phone. I knew that to be a warning of possible heart attack, and sternly told him to go to the emergency room. Pain serves as a warning. Again, I wonder what it was like in the Garden of Eden. Did Eve feel a pain in her heart at hearing the words of the serpent? Did Adam feel pain when Eve offered him the fruit? My mind rambles on...