The Cost of Avoiding Pain or, Not Risking Joy

Last updated on: June 22, 2018 at 3:01 pm by Andy Gill

The Cost of Avoiding Pain or, Not Risking Joy 2018-06-22T15:01:14-05:00 Andy Gill

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Joy is not the absence of pain; it’s the presence of meaning and intimacy [regardless of pain or sufferings presence].

Can you experience joy without having to first, or ever, experience suffering? Is it possible to reach heaven without having to venture through the wilderness?

Suffering, far too many times, I think, is the result of inaction; that is, doing nothing in face of pain or unexpected hardships. It’s when we can’t find or don’t have a reason to push forward that we tend to give up and allow hardship to win.

Taking this on from a different perspective: Joy is a constant choice in which we repeatedly make, day in and day out until it becomes a natural and habituated way of life. It’s not simply a feeling; it’s the underlying foundation of our very being.

Richard Rohr Joy Quote Andy Gill

When talking about Joy and Suffering I can’t help but feel, think, or be reminded of the Red Letters, the Gospels, and the life of Christ in which his Apostles emulated. More specifically I’m reminded of two verses…

The Cost of Avoiding Pain or

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