Christian Fitness Network's Blog

Today’s Fitness Professional and expert is my good friend from Texas, Steve Payne.  It has been a blessing to get to know Steve despite being  on opposite parts of the United Sates. Steve is a long time veteran in the fitness business and has helped countless people get fit, and lose weight.  To read even more about Steve you can click here.  It makes sense that a man with a last name Payne would write about pain in our lives.  Thanks Steve for a great article!

Athletes and Pain

…neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. – Revelation 21:4

Nothing can be more discouraging to an athlete than a nagging injury. To play with pain is more often a greater challenge than meeting and defeating an opponent. Pain often indicates a serious injury that can keep a player from practice and their participation in a game. An individual’s reaction to pain will oftentimes determine their level and degree of determination and enthusiasm with which they play.

The avoidance of pain is quite natural to our behavior. It’s all in what we prepare for and grow accustomed to. A 250 pound tackle who both takes and gives blow after crushing blow may faint at the mere sight of the nurse with a needle. The man who jumps rows of cars while on the back of a motorcycle may shy away from the invitation to crawl upon the back of the bucking bull in a rodeo.

The thought of enduring pain would always seem to be on the mind of the quarterback as he stands confidently in the “pocket” waiting to launch a pass as tons of competitively minded, testosterone filled humanity is bearing down upon him. These same thoughts must surely pass through the mind of the receiver waiting to catch the pass.

The player who’s been out of action for a time because of injury is encouraged as the pain subsides and begins to leave his injured limb with each passing day’s workout. In this instance, one must be willing to endure the pain of conditioning in order to replace the pain of injury. As stated before by a great coach, “You can live with the pain or you can play with the pain.”

I believe that we can safely say that pain is a cold, hard fact of life. In my nearly 49 years of life I’ve endured over 30 broken bones (had my nose broken 6 times), had stitches 11 times, the last time I sewed myself up, and have dislocated both shoulders and four fingers. One of my old coaches told me after a rather severe crash into a much larger opponent, “You are either in pain now or you’re going to be. Deal with it.”

In Matthew 13:21, Jesus spoke of a type of reaction to pain. This person without “roots in himself” can only endure a short time. “Tribulation or persecution” eventually causes him to be offended (discouraged), and he becomes a dropout.

Jesus also said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33)

There is a time coming when God will wipe away “all the symptoms of pain…tears from their eyes, no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying.” That’s when we’ll be with Jesus in eternity. But that day will not come without much pain and heartache here.

Have you prepared yourself?

God bless you,

Steve Payne

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