needles and pain

My youngest daughter just had a shot yesterday and she was quite the trooper. As the doctor gave her the needle she looked right at it the whole time, barely grimaced and shed not a tear. In fact, it has been quite a week for needles for my family as my oldest son had one at his doctor's appointment and my middle son had an IV for his MRI. All of them did amazingly well and handled the needles like there was nothing to it. I guess it is just me who continues to struggle with them, stomach turning at the thought of giving blood and getting week and flush when I have to do it. The last time I gave blood I literally had to sit down, close my eyes and "go to my happy place" as I felt my face go flush, the room get hot and the sweat begin to descend from my forehead. I guess I am the wimp!
Needles are a strange reality when you think about it. Whether I have to have one, or whether I have to watch my children go through it I don't like the thought of them. I know the are unpleasant, I know that they will hurt and yet I know that they are for good. Despite the fact that I don't like them I give thanks for them. Whether they are for diagnosing, preventing or treating illness, they are used to bring wellness and healing.
Pain is not always a bad thing, all without purpose and for nothing. Physical pain, for example, is part of our human design to bring attention to the fact that something is wrong. It is like our built in warning system. After reading some of Dr. Paul Brandt's work, I came to recognize that pain is an amazing reality for which we can be thankful. The most tragic thing about the disease leprosy, for example, is that it deadens nerves which then fail to signal to the mind when a injury happens. Without recognizing an injury individuals go on without getting treatment, further injuring themselves. Even minor scrapes, cuts and burns are left untreated and can become infected and turn into major conditions. All this because the individuals feel no pain.
On a more metaphoric note, the needle reminds me that sometimes a little pain and discomfort in life can have positive outcomes. John 15:2 tells us that God prunes the branches that bear fruit. So even if we are committed followers who remain in the vine and bear much fruit, we can expect pruning. Although it may not be comfortable it is for the best and for our health. We also have the promise that God works in all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). So whether it is some discomfort that we bear because of work God is doing directly in our lives, or something that God has, for some reason, allowed we can trust that there will be some good.
Sometimes life is like having a needle, there is pain and discomfort, but it is not without purpose and it is, in the end, for our health and growth.