The Purpose of Distress

First, let me recognize that we have entered a New Year. I hope that yours is well or as well as can be expected thus far.

With this post will I claim to understand the purpose of distress? No, but hopefully I can relate how distress--pain or suffering affecting the body, a bodily part, or the mind--can build us up and not tear us down.

Change can definitely create distress in our lives. The distress of change is that many things seem to change at once in quick succession.  Yet, despite the pain or suffering we are experiencing now, distress can push us forward into becoming the person we desire to be.

As an example, let's look at Alan Loy McGinnis' words in The Power of Optimism (click here to see this and more examples from sermonillustrations.com):

Thomas Edison's manufacturing facilities in West Orange, N.J., were heavily damaged by fire one night in December, 1914. Edison lost almost $1 million worth of equipment and the record of much of his work. The next morning, walking about the charred embers of his hopes and dreams, the 67-year-old inventor said: "There is value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Now we can start anew."

If you would, allow me to modify Edison's quote: There is value in change.  We can review all of our mistakes, learn from them, and then start anew.

More than likely the new ideas generated from our review will take us into the direction of the person we want to be.


Joel 2:25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. (KJV)

Joel 2:25 I will give you back what you lost in the years when swarms of locusts ate your crops. It was I who sent this army against you. (GNB)