How Numbing Pain Stifles Maturity
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5
God often uses trials and tribulations to grow us. When we face difficulty, we are given the opportunity to rise to the occasion and mature. Just like curling a 25lb dumbbell is painful and challenging when first introduced, but as we persevere, 25lbs begins to feel like nothing and produces in us a greater strength.
I’ve come to recognize that when I face a difficult situation, it means I have room to grow. This has not always been the case, though. For much of my life, instead of facing difficulty, I numbed the pain and therefore did not develop the skills, perspectives and maturity that I could have developed through it.
Skills like:
Alleviating anxiety in healthy ways
Problem solving
Empathy
Confidence
Resilience
Focus
Courage
Ability to listen well
Vulnerability
Leadership
Integrity
During my decades of numbing (whether with porn, video games or social media), I saw the only “victim” of the numbing as the time lost and the sin committed. Looking back, though, I see more clearly that I was also robbing myself of maturity and character.
This is part of why I’m so passionate about helping fellow brothers break free from what holds them back. You have far more untapped potential than you know, but it takes refusing to numb-out and choosing to courageously face pain and difficulty in your life in order to achieve it. I imagine this is why God often does not instantly cure us of our temptations and sinful habits. Instead He takes us on a journey of sanctification as the Holy Spirit day-by-day aligns our heart’s desires more closely with His and develops in us a God-honoring maturity.
I am now striving to allow pain and difficulties to develop resilience in my life - not only to make up for lost time, but mostly because I now realize that, like you, I have no idea how much potential God is growing in me as I persevere through suffering.
