Purpose in Pain...truth or crap?

While many of you were sitting poolside or lounging at a backyard BBQ, I was doing something entirely different.  I was alone at my almost reconstructed house with my carpet cleaner.  While burgers were frying all around the US, I was having a US sized pity party in my basement as I worked and scrubbed to get my own blood out of the carpet  After the tornado, we all ended up in the basement.  I would learn later that in my hysterical and injured state that even though all my kids were present, I kept screaming, where are my kids?  Are they dead?  Uhhhh, we'll take therapy for four, please! What an awful night.  I won't lie.  I know you're sick of hearing it and I'm sick of saying it.  But, that night is three months ago for you.  It is one thought away for me...always.
Yesterday I was on a mission.  See, the rest of my house has been beautifully rebuilt.  It looks entirely different and new.  But, every time we walk to the basement, I am hit in the face again with the visual reminder of my injury.  It was way past time to get that carpet cleaned.  Maybe I thought that if I got the blood out, that it would erase that night...it did not.  Now, I just look at the space where the blood "used to be" and remember.
In the middle of my BLAH, I was contemplating the purpose in pain.  Is there any?  Is pain meant to grow us?  Or is it just pain?  I have a friend that will wake up tomorrow morning remembering the nightmare of three years ago when she found that her six year old child had gone to be with Jesus.  How she even continues to walk past that room, I will never understand.  She is strong.  Is there purpose in her pain?
I have a dear friend that, despite my annoying state of blah, has been a great reminder of God's purpose in my life.  She has challenged me to keep moving forward and to take care of myself.  I called her last night and after I put my scrub brush down, I went to pick her up and we escaped to a movie.  Ahhhh, what a wonderful escape. Even though she showed up looking annoyingly beautiful and I looked like...well, a girl that just scrubbed her basement carpet.  She challenged me to make some changes in my daily life. One of those changes is to spend more time in the word of God.  That has gotten lost a bit in this whole mess.  But, I know the answers to my questions are found in God's true and simple words.  Here is what He has spoken to me about this topic today.
2 Corinthians 4: 7-10
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
That's it!  We experience pain to remind us that this world is not our home.  This scratch on the line of eternity is so fleeting.  As we walk the road of junk, we are reminded of what Jesus has freed us from.  Because one day, there will be no more pain...no more sorrow.  One day, we will be with Jesus in eternity.  In my pain, I draw close to Him and let him remind me that He walks the painful road with me and keeps my eyes focused on Him, his hope, his promises. If you don't have this hope, please pray and ask God to give it to you.  When Christ is in your life, you will still have pain...but you will be carried through it by the one that has defeated death and pain for good.  And that is the truth!  No crap! :)  Happy Memorial Day.  I'm off to clean out some pods in my driveway.  :)  If you're in the neighborhood and you have an overwhelming desire to drop off a burger, I won't stop you!