Elder Meredith’s sage words echo in my ears. “You will hear some outside noises. Don’t give into its pull. Keep on going.” I smiled with confidence as I continued to listen to him. “Now, it depends on how strongly you want to reach your destination. You can reach that distance and beyond it, if you want. Now go.”

That day I faithfully and courageously followed his instructions. I not only reached my destination but I arrived there right on time. Sometimes, painful situations can make you do the things you normally would not do. The loud noises of past painful experiences can hamper your forward move into your destiny. Not dealing with it is never the right answer; to be healed there must be the identification of the cause.

There was a young man who was in severe pain and needed someone to drive him to the emergency room. Sometime later, the young man was called back to triage. He was asked a series of questions about his medical condition. Due to his severe pain, he responded with a brusque answer. He disliked all the questions; he just wanted the pain to cease. He failed to see that he had to reveal the symptoms of the pain so his ailment could be correctly diagnosed. Gritting his teeth in anguish, he began mumbling under his breath. It was obvious the young man was growing irate by the second. His pallor was turning red, he began hyperventilating, and all the stress to his body was causing his blood pressure to spike.

The nurse was attuned to his symptoms and remained calm. Her patient was upset, however, she knew that he needed to stay calm, to explain his symptoms. He gritted his teeth, as he told the nurse where his pains were. He also informed her about the temporary pain relievers that he had taken to relieve him of his pain. Nothing helped, until he finally sought the help he needed at the hospital. The pain was so severe, he was literally shaking. As he spoke, the nurse charted his information down and then asked him what his pain level was from 1-10. He voiced in a loud and resounding voice…10!

In the hospital, there is a pain scale of 1-10.

Level 0: Zero means there is no pain.

Levels 1-3: This level of pain is considered moderate and tolerable that does not interfere with everyday functioning. Here, you are able to prevent the pain from escalating. Deal with it! Whatever is preventing you from healing?

Levels 4-6: The pain is a constant and now you are having trouble focusing, as the pain intensifies. You are in need of help. There is no pretending that everything is normal. Your mind gives an indication that something is awry. Treatment must be rendered, the longer the wait, then the harder it will be to bring decrease the pain.

Level 7: The pain is intense and cannot be hidden. In a hospital, setting a stronger dosage of medication or treatment is required to ease the pain to a tolerable level.

Level 8: Scream pain! Moaning, crying, and writhing are accompanied by it.

Levels 9-10: Pain is at its peak. Level 10 is severe pain. This pain disrupts your life to a standstill. You are forced to face it. Help is desperately needed!

The pain caused a trigger effect in the patient’s time of need. He was growing frustrated, where he exposed his angry and directing his frustrations on to the triage nurse. She only wanted to help him with his pain, to find out what was wrong. How many times do we lash out at the wrong person when we are hurting? How often do we become frustrated in our situations and we say the wrong thing? This exacerbates the whole problem. You are hurting because you cannot let go, by doing this, you are also hurting others, by not letting go.

The best gift you can give yourself is to let go of hurts, rejections, and disappointments. Painful noises can be silenced by letting go and let God have his way.

(Editor’s note: Vanessa Richardson can be contacted at vanessajackso90@hotmail.com)