Paul Brand

Paul Brand (1914–2003)

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No one likes to get hurt. You stay away from pain as much as possible. Most people do. Paul Brand once thought pain was “God’s one great mistake.”

In the 1920s, Paul lived in India with his missionary parents. He saw people get sick. His father died. He didn’t like to see people hurt. Maybe you think pain is a mistake too. Wouldn’t it be better if people never felt pain?

Paul grew up to become a doctor. He was always interested in the pain that his patients felt. Some didn’t feel pain, and that was a very big issue because it caused them to have even more problems. It may seem simple, but pain is God’s warning system telling you that you’ve been hurt. Without pain, you might not know. You might never heal. You might not get help. Pain tells you to stop doing what causes pain and treat your wound. Pain actually stops you from hurting yourself even more.

Jesus said in John 16:33, “In the world you will have much trouble. But take hope! I have power over the world!”

If you hurt yourself, look for an adult to help you. When you hurt inside, you can ask God to help you. The psalmist wrote, “[God] heals those who have a broken heart. He heals their sorrows” (Psalm 147:3).

Paul Brand knew that pain can help you learn to trust God. He discovered that God didn’t create pain to hurt you. Pain tells you when to stop doing the things that are hurting you.

“God will take away all their tears. There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All the old things have passed away.”