Diane to God:

Dear God, For one week I have been feeling intense pain around my ear and back teeth. I am seeing doctors and healers.

I have been asking what this pain has to teach me. So far I have come up with how I believe in suffering and how I want to let this belief go. I have been asking You to help me have faith that all is grace and goodness. I have been giving the pain to you. I have been asking for guidance. The pain continues. I am afraid. I am afraid that it will never go away. I cry. I try to honor myself. I try to be compassionate with my family. I do not know what else to do. Can you help me?

Gloria to Diane:

Dear Diane, thank you for your question. I will ask God tomorrow. I am so sorry that you have been having pain. It's probably obvious, but have you been to the dentist? What do the healers and doctors say? Please keep me posted. Meanwhile, I desire that God release you from this pain. I know He will anyway, but right now.

Later…

Diane to Gloria:

Dear Gloria, well, going to the dentist does seem obvious now, but for some good reason it was not obvious until this morning after I asked God for help.

A friend had suggested that I have a conversation with the pain so I did. I cried and asked why it was so persistent. It said, "You know I am not real". I said, "That may be true on some level, but right now you sure have my attention."

Then I was struck with the thought that I am much more than this pain. This pain is just a small part of who I am.

Then I thought of the pain as being just a small bundle of fear or anger or sadness much in need of attention. This felt very good and empowering. The God in me, the goodness in me, the wholeness in me, could reach out and soothe this pain. I felt I had been given a great gift with this thought.

Then soon after that I decided to call a dentist and later that afternoon, he extracted my wisdom tooth.

I look back on my seven days of pain as an odyssey. I made an assumption that the pain was a throbbing nerve that would subside as soon as I looked in the right direction, changed an old belief or pattern, made amends to those I have hurt, etc.

The last seven days have been spent on an inward journey ending with the message of gentleness. When I could be gentle with my pain, the path was made clear. I feel so blessed.

God to Diane:

This siege had a happy ending.

That is very good, gentleness toward pain. You made the pain become an experience of insight. Indeed, your tooth was giving you wisdom. You made the pain an advance in the road. You removed the pain, and gained wisdom.

I like your example of a small bundle you wrap up, an insignificant bundle of stagnant energy to be let go of. Now I would like to say to My beloved daughter, Diane, that pain does not always have to be a learning tool. It is not always always a signal that you have to be whipped into shape. Sometimes it is merely a signal, for example, that you have a thorn in your finger that you need to take out.

Of course, you can make a metaphor of anything and make it an event or poetry or a chapter title.

It worked well for you to address the pain as though it knew something, and it certainly gave you a right answer. I do not know that I recommend honoring the pain with that much recognition, for that is perhaps attributing to it intelligence it does not have.

Gentleness is the way to deal with any unwelcome guest. Love is the way. Fighting is not the way because fighting makes you strong in tension and makes the other into an opponent of worth.

Pain is a simulated thing. Just as a shadow can make you afraid, pain also.

Understanding is not the key. Acceptance is.

Acceptance doesn't mean that you have to embrace the pain. Acceptance means that you don't have to have the understanding of why and how. You don't have to control the pain's coming and going. You don't have to order it. You don't have to mark its entry nor its exit. Pain is not your master. You do not have to make it significant or give it obeisance.

Let Me also say that you, Diane, learn a lot so that you can bless many with what you have learned.

Remember that what you have learned is not how to reduce or eliminate pain.

You have not learned this or that.

You are learning Me, blessed Diane. Do not choose knowledge of pain over Me. Do not choose quick fixes over Me. Do not ask Me to do your will. Ask Me what is Mine. That is being in pure love, Diane of Mine, Diane of My Will.