A Painful Toy

My son once hurt himself while playing his favorite toy -- a Star Wars light sabre. He had taken the plastic blade and shoved it back in the handle, and when he did that, his hand got caught in the moving plastic.

He cried so loudly that it could be heard throughout the entire house. But when his mother came with ice to ease his pain, he kept saying through his tears, "It doesn't hurt that bad! It doesn't hurt that bad!"

Of course, we all knew that it did hurt that bad, but he didn't want to lose his light sabre. He was willing to undergo pain, and even the potential of getting hurt again, in order to keep what was most valuable to him.

Possible application(s): If he was willing to forgo pain in order to keep a toy, would we do the same for what matters to us? How do we respond to suffering?

Source: JoelJupp.com, February 23, 2009