A few days ago, I was sitting in church, and the priest had said something that just resonated with me.

Through Pain, there’s love.

It’s an odd concept when thinking about it alone, but put in the correct context and it makes so much sense.

A mother who is in pain and is about to deliver her child, knows that through this pain, there is something wonderful waiting at the end of the tunnel. It’s new life. It’s a promise to bring a new human being in this world, and we know that this pain that we feel is minor compared to the love that will fill our hearts in the days and years to come.

Or a father, who works and toils during the day so that he can provide for his family. Most of the time it’s at a job that is not even liked, but through this hard work, he sees the happiness and satisfaction with his family. A roof over their heads, and appreciation for what he does.

These painful acts (because let’s be honest–giving birth, or working 9-5 is painful) is so minor compared to what we can give others. The self sacrifice is not even looked at when we know we can make others happy through our actions.

While this concept may not be applied to everything, it is a very basic concept that can be applied to all things that we do for our families and one another.

So what do you think of when you hear, “through pain, there’s love?”