Pain Into Purpose

By Scott Reddoch

Has pain ever destroyed your entire world? Not a little setback, not an inconvenience, but total destruction. Picture early 1900’s Scotland. It is spring in the border lands where misty mornings give way to sun filled days that highlight the lush green fields. We find our main character winning yet another live stock competition with one of his purple sheep.

Most shepherds have a lot of sheep to tend to. The more sheep the more fleece, and losing a few doesn’t break the bank. Our shepherd’s collection of sheep pales in comparison to the others. Although he only has 10 sheep, the purple sheep produce 10 times the wool, and it is the finest quality that anyone has seen. Many aristocrats and monarchs have garments made of the exquisite wool. The wool commands a high price, making our shepherd a wealthy man.

The sheep are his prized possession. Our shepherd had sleeping quarters built for them, and keeps them under lock and key to prevent man or wolf from stealing one. Surprisingly, he had no fence but instead had a hedge around the entire perimeter of his land. Outside of the hedge he stripped back the grass some leaving a row of earth. An intruder would leave tracks in the soil and he walked the hedge while the sheep were out of their quarters.

Other than the hedge and locked sleeping quarters the shepherd also made sophisticated traps for any wolf coming from the forest. One day while walking the hedge he discovered large tracks in his dirt area. The shepherd had never seen tracks that big before. Knowing that predators were about he decided to camp out near the tracks. At dusk the shepherd moved the purple sheep to their quarters and gathered some wood for the camp fire.

The shepherd found a dry, flat place to sleep and made a fire that could be seen for miles. He had a quiet night with no sightings, at dawn he would let the sheep out of their quarters to feed on the grass. As the shepherd approached the quarters he saw that the door was ajar, he had not locked it. He had been out there all night and hadn’t seen any sheep so he figured that they were still inside. Upon entering he found 10 purple sheep. None had escaped, but something had gotten in and that something killed all of them.

Completely devastated, the shepherd fell to his knees. This was his fault, how could he forget to lock the door? To make matters worse, whatever killed the sheep didn’t eat anything, they were killed for fun. The shepherd gave each of the sheep a proper burial. After all the labor was done, the shepherd felt an extreme emptiness.

Days of mourning turned into weeks. The shepherd’s best memories involved the purple sheep, his entire day had been spent caring for the sheep. He was becoming a hermit, not seeing anyone and barely going outdoors.

Noticing his absence, a nearby shepherd visited. Our shepherd informed him of the killing. He had also seen some large tracks and asked for his help in protecting the flock. Reluctantly our shepherd agreed, he didn’t think that he would be much help but thought getting out would do him good.

He wasn’t used to watching a big flock. Aside from the fact that they weren’t his purple sheep, he found them to be an aggravating bunch. Nonetheless, he was protecting them and it felt good to be useful again.

Wolf tracks were spotted nearby and our shepherd began making his sophisticated wolf traps to help protect the flock. He slept out there and built a large fire. His efforts worked as one wolf was trapped and no sheep were hurt.

News of this spread and after a short time our shepherd was building traps for all of the local shepherds. He became known as the shepherd that protects sheep.

Life guarantees pain. We lose people, we lose pets, we get sick, we fail. The six c’s of pain remind us that we can respond to pain in several different ways. Some are crushed by pain while others cope. There are ones who see pain presents challenges to transform it into purpose. It still hurts, but turning your pain into compassion, creativity and contribution can bring about powerful changes.

More often than not, pain is unexpected, which only enhances its difficultly of being dealt with. The sudden, forced change can shake your world. We often identify with a relationship or job, and when your identity gets snatched away it can be really hard to find any benefit in that. Pain is also overwhelming and often doesn’t make any sense. Separating pain from identity can be a big step. Instead of focusing on the feeling or loss, I dig deep inside and build something in its place.

Pain is a disruption. All of the people who I’ve spoken with that have been in a traumatic situation, have a different outlook on what matters in life. Pain causes us to look at things that we may overlook regularly. Many perspectives get focused on what is most important and how a person can impact those things. Pain demands attention and that we find a way to make it stop. In some cases, the pain helps us create a more meaningful life and find our purpose.

We must acknowledge the emotions that pain causes. It is OK to be angry or frustrated just don’t get stuck in it. I have decided that the pain I feel is not felt in vain. I deal with it and make sure that I turn pain into reflection on where it came from, and how it shapes the road ahead. The process can be slow, after all this is growth.

Finding purpose and helping others have been my favorite benefits of pain. Often you see a person who has been through a painful situation start a charity or write a book about what they went through. They make a road map for others who may experience similar pain. When you share your struggle you can help others feel less alone.

Purpose isn’t always something special. Many times its simply being a kind person, sometimes it’s giving the love you never got. Purpose can hide in the small, quiet moments. Purpose continually grows and is best watered by pain.

The story of the shepherd shows us how one man was able to transform his pain into purpose. Pain is a difficult part of life. How we deal with the pain is the test. Learn from your pain and keep moving. The transformation isn’t about ignoring pain, it hurts, it’s about honoring it. Make something in its place, help others. What may be your greatest setback can be the catalyst for big positive change.