There are some lessons life teaches softly…
And there are others pain carves into your soul.
Before I understood life…
Before I knew what pain meant…
Before I could explain illness…
Pain introduced me to God as Father.
Not merely as God.
Not as a distant Creator.
But as a compassionate Father.
My parents were nurses who spent their lives serving in a mission hospital. They loved God deeply and served Him wholeheartedly. So from childhood, faith was not just something we practiced on Sundays — it was woven into the fabric of our home.
But then there was me:
The child with sickle cell disease.
My mother later told me I was diagnosed at age five — quite late for most children living with sickle cell disease. Usually, many babies begin to show symptoms from about five to six months old. One of the earliest signs is dactylitis, commonly called “hand-foot syndrome,” where the hands and feet become swollen and extremely painful. Frequent fevers are also common.
But somehow… I did not experience those early severe symptoms.
Looking back now, I see what I couldn’t fully understand then:
God’s compassion was already speaking over my life long before I could recognize it.
Even in suffering, mercy was present.
That realization changed something inside me.
Because many people assume God only shows compassion by removing all pain completely. But sometimes His compassion appears in preservation… in delayed severity… in strength to survive… in the right people around you… in the crisis that could have been worse but wasn’t.
Sometimes compassion looks like:
“You made it through.”
And if you live long enough with pain, you begin to notice these quiet mercies.
You notice the crisis that didn’t take your life.
The hospital visit that ended in praise.
The strength that arrived at the last minute.
The peace that made no logical sense.
I learned early that God does not abandon His children in pain.
He stays.
“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” — Psalm 103:13
That verse became personal to me.
Not theoretical.
Personal.
And maybe someone reading this today needs to hear this too:
God sees the pain nobody else sees.
Whether you are living with sickle cell, caring for a child with chronic illness, watching someone suffer, or carrying silent emotional pain — God’s compassion has not expired.
Sometimes we pray and expect God to do everything instantly.
But often, His compassion walks with us through the process.
And for parents raising children with sickle cell: Do not lose hope.
Children are stronger than they appear.
And God is kinder than circumstances suggest.
Educational Nugget:
Many children with sickle cell begin showing symptoms in infancy, often around 5–6 months old. Early diagnosis, hydration, infection prevention, proper medical care, and parental awareness significantly improve outcomes and quality of life.
Pain2Gain Reflection:
Pain may introduce you to discomfort…
But it can also introduce you to the compassion of God in ways comfort never could.
Tomorrow, I’ll share the lesson growing up with sickle cell taught me about hidden battles… and why not all warriors wear uniforms. Read Here
