Is life pain?

"Life is pain Highness, anyone who tells you different is selling something." These words are spoken by Wesley, disguised as the Dread Pirate Roberts, to the love of his life, Buttercup, in the film The Princess Bride. An unusual statement from a loved one to be sure but one that falls in with Wesley's current mood. Years before Wesley was taken prisoner by the previous Dread Pirate Roberts and assumed murdered by all who knew him. But now Buttercup was engaged to another man and Wesley needed to know if she had ever really loved him, so he rescues her as the Dread Pirate Roberts. The viewer sees Wesley's outburst as the heartbroken cry of the rejected lover and not as his true life philosophy, for as the film plays out Wesley builds upon his love for Buttercup instead of his expectation of pain. But Wesley's outburst does raise an important question, is life pain?

For the sick or handicapped it is our instant reaction to say yes. For ourselves when life does not go the way we desire our instinct is to say yes. When we suffer, when we weaken, when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we often lament that "life is pain". But I disagree. Though my life has had painful experiences and moments when the agony seemed overwhelming on both physical and emotional levels I am forced to say that none of those experiences were or are my life. Life may experience pain but the pain is simply an event in the life. Life is not pain. Wesley may claim it is because he is in the emotions of what he thinks is a betrayal but he has given his life as a sacrifice to true love, and there lies the real truth of what life is! Life, my life or your life, is completely about what we choose to live for, not what may happen to us. We have all been given an amazing gift to elect the meaning of our lives. The things and people we choose to love, the way we handle the pain that will drift in and out of our lives and the goals we set for ourselves determine what our life is, not some pain we have experienced.

So, am I selling something you may ask. The short answer is yes. I am selling life as we are meant to see it and live it. Free from the domination of our circumstances, free to be enjoyed and savored even when pain enters into it. If you don't believe me then look at the life of Christ. He experienced pain and suffering that he knew, from the moment of his birth was coming his way. Despite his complete awareness of what his fate was Jesus lived a life of love and mercy, he was never defined by the circumstances that awaited him but chose instead to embrace life and live as he desired. Life has pain yes, but life is not pain. Life is what you make of it, will you dwell on the uncontrollable or will you boldly face the future as one who chooses to live a life of freedom?