Overview and Objectives

We hate pain, especially in those we love. Yet, without discomfort, the sick wouldn’t go to a doctor. Worn-out bodies would get no rest. Criminals wouldn’t fear the law. Children would laugh at correction. Without pangs of conscience, the daily dissatisfaction of boredom, or the empty longing for significance, people who are made to find satisfaction in an eternal Father would settle for far less. The example of Solomon, lured by pleasure and taught by his pain, shows us that even the wisest among us tend to drift from good and from God until arrested by the resulting pain of our own shortsighted choices.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

• Explain how pain can warn us of danger.
• Explain how the habitual practice of sin deadens our spiritual pain nerves.
• Identify the impact of sin upon creation.
• Demonstrate your understanding of the materials and take the quiz at 70% or better.

As you proceed through this lesson have the following question in mind.
Have you ever before considered the positive value of pain in our lives and in our world? What would be some of the ramifications of the absence of the warnings that pain can give us?