Skip to main content

“Nobody likes pain. We go out of our way to avoid it.”

A thought by Mike Bechtle from his book, Dealing with the Elephant in the Room: Moving from Tough Conversations to Healthy Communication (p. 32). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Yes, I’m sure that none of us like pain.

Mike says, “When we feel it, we move away from it. When we touch a barbeque, we don’t say, ‘Ouch! That hurts. But I think I’ll keep my finger here for a while so I can really experience the pain.’ We pull our finger away and avoid touching it in the future. Hopefully, we learn from the pain. That’s a healthy response.

“When things hurt, it’s a signal that something is wrong. We might try to ignore the pain, hoping it will just go away on its own. We might try to take medication to numb the pain so we don’t feel it as strongly. But when pain happens, the best response is to figure out what’s causing it. Pain should be a trigger that makes us think, ‘Okay, there’s a problem. Let’s work on it.’”

He goes on, “Athletes understand pain and use it to their advantage. If they’re injured, the pain tells them it’s time to stop and treat the injury so it doesn’t get worse. But if they’re trying to get stronger and more competitive, they know there will be a different type of pain as they force their body out of its comfort zone. If they avoid that kind of pain, they never grow. They want to achieve breakthrough performance, so they willingly accept the pain of their workouts to move to the next level.

“World-class relationships don’t just happen; they take intentional effort. Growing our abilities to communicate effectively involves stretching beyond our comfortable conversations. Sometimes we’ll feel pain, but it’s the pain of growth. We embrace those tough conversations as necessary steps to stronger relationships.”

So, let’s do that.  Let's not run away from those tough conversations but use them as necessary steps in making your relationships stronger.  Will you strive to do that?  Will you?

Yes, yes! 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“Hurry and love are incompatible.”

A thought by John Mark Comer from his book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (p. 23). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Wow, pretty strong thought isn’t it? John says, “All my worst moments as a father, a husband, and a pastor, even as a human being, are when I’m in a hurry—late for an appointment, behind on my unrealistic to-do list, trying to cram too much into my day. I ooze anger, tension, a critical nagging—the antitheses of love. If you don’t believe me, next time you’re trying to get your type B wife and three young, easily distracted children out of the house and you’re running late (a subject on which I have a wealth of experience), just pay attention to how you relate to them. Does it look and feel like love? Or is it far more in the vein of agitation, anger, a biting comment, a rough glare? Hurry and love are oil and water: they simply do not mix.” He goes on, “Hence, in the apostle P...
Post a Comment
Read more

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...
Post a Comment
Read more

“The gospel is good news, not good advice.”

A thought by Timothy Keller (2016-10-25) from his book, Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ (p. 21). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I’m glad you stopped to catch a glimpse of what this thought really means. Tim says, “Advice is counsel about what you must do. News is a report about what has already been done. Advice urges you to make something happen. News urges you to recognize something that has already happened and to respond to it. Advice says it is all up to you to act. News says someone else has acted.” He then gives an illustration, “Let’s say there is an invading army coming toward a town. What that town needs is military advisers; it needs advice. Someone should explain that the earthworks and trenches should go over there, the marksmen go up there, and the tanks must go down there.”   That’s advice He goes on, “However, if a great king has intercepted and ...
Post a Comment
Read more