I was reminded a while ago in one of my readings for the spiritual director training how important it is not to resist pain/illness in the process of spiritual healing. That is not new to me, but I did need to be reminded because I, like so many of us, have a strong tendency to resist pain of any kind.
The last couple of days I have had some unusual pain in my jaw which moved up to my cheek bone and finally to the temple on the right side of my face and head. It was a bit disconcerting because I couldn’t really connect it with anything and I so wanted to resist it, just make it go away. I remembered however, that I need to spend some time simply being present to it with wonder and love and see if there is a message in it for me or simply what it is I need to know right now.
It wasn’t easy and the pain got worse before it got better but sit with it I did, doing my best to relax around it and breathe with it and then I also journaled about it. The thing that came up had to do with some aspect of self-image that I need to release at this point in my life. Not 100% clear on it but I have a sense of it, so I continue to work with it though the pain has pretty much subsided now.
Gotta love these bodies of ours, they are full of important and useful information…
