The world is a painful place. We're born screaming, we wrestle with the vulnerability of childhood and the awkwardness of adolescence. Then, we fight a losing battle against our gradually deteriorating bodies. Along the way, we experience the abuse of bullies, the loss of those we love, and the pain of illness.

In the face of such a grim drumbeat of events, a life filled with laughter would seem improbable if not miraculous. Set against such a backdrop, our life-long pursuit of comfort is understandable.

The problem is that an incessant pursuit of comfort dulls the very nerve-endings that enable us to experience pleasure. Numbness is not a solution to the problem of pain.

The Release of the Spirit by Watchman Nee describes why pain is spiritually necessary and a good thing. Just about any book by Henri Nouwen or Brennan Manning delve into the problem of pain and how in sharing it we become more human and paradoxically more divine.

If you find yourself too comfortable or perhaps numb, I've found that nothing takes the place of experiencing the awesome feeling of an orphan in your lap on a swing in the sunshine. Thinking as you're swinging, "what must it be like to be young and vulnerable without parents?" Feeling compassion wash over your heart.