One in Pain - Call for Love Devotion August 17

Sometimes it seems that the purpose of life is to avoid pain
Pain causes suffering
the two seem to go together
Then again, maybe they don't need to
Could it be that it is not the pain, but the suffering that we don't want?
I recently got a tattoo
There was pain for sure, but there was no suffering
In fact, it was pain that I looked forward to
because it was for something that mattered to me
I had chosen the pain

Maybe pain and suffering do not need to go together
suffering comes from wanting things to be different than they are
If we accept things as they are, the suffering can be greatly reduced
I know this is hard when we have lost someone we love,
or if we are sick,
or our life is not going the way we would like
these are the times when we have a choice to suffer or not,
or at least how long we will continue to suffer

Pain has another side,
it has a purpose
and a potential for growth and love
which is far greater than the suffering

If we share our pain,
if we help others with compassion
if we see how much we are loved
or show others they are loved
if we give from our hearts in someone's time of need
if we carry on, in their name, doing what they would do
if we learn more about ourselves and who we really are,
there need not be undo suffering,
pain can be a blessing
if it helps us to become ONE
because that is what we are here for
and pain is one way we can get there

So let's skip the suffering
Let all things be as they are
and remember to love one another
using everything that happens in our lives
to express who we really are
even the pain

Isn't that what Michael did?