With ectasy comes pain

ec·sta·sy (kst-s)

n. pl. ec·sta·sies

1. Intense joy or delight.

2. A state of emotion so intense that one is carried beyond rational thought and self-control: an ecstasy of rage.

3. The trance, frenzy, or rapture associated with mystic or prophetic exaltation.

ag·o·nize (g-nz)

v. ag·o·nized, ag·o·niz·ing, ag·o·niz·es

v.intr.

1. To suffer extreme pain or great anguish.

2. To make a great effort; struggle.

v.tr.

To cause great pain or anguish to

I was listening to MPR radio this morning about combat in Iraq. So much pain... I found myself thinking upon agony. Why God? This hurt, this agony. The story was so overwhelming that to walk into the store became an act of habit. My mind was still in the car listening to the soldiers' pain but my feet were walking to get my errands done. My mind kept thinking why so much pain? But then, I remembered, God gives us joy. Overwhelming, truly powerful joy! Love, mother love, wife love....LOVE! Would I want to be minus love so I could never experience agony? Would being numb be fine if it was without ecstasy? Is that how we would want to live?