Pain

I have a different relationship with pain than a lot of people.?As a living organ donor, I have had a lot of conversations with some friends about it being something they would not be comfortable with, accepting pain for the benefit of someone else.?I have been quoted a number of times about how greatness is achieved through a ‘little courage and tolerance for pain’ whether it be physical, financial or just in sacrificing time.

At the core of Christianity, is the concept of pain and sacrifice for the benefit of others.?Now, there are lot of Christians who are not willing to make sacrifices for others, and even I was uncomfortable at first when someone made a reference that what I did as an organ donor was ‘Christ-like’.?It is still a far-reaching comparison, but the world would be better if people lived in that example of being willing to make sacrifices to improve the world.

As I was being interviewed/qualified during the process of becoming an organ donor, it was stressed many times about the scarring that will occur and if I have the adequate body image and self-confidence to move forward.?I might just be a little different (I’m actually weirdly proud of my scars), but I was moved by a fellow Alvernia Alumni who bears her scar proudly from her procedures to address congenital heart disease.?She went on to be an advocate for the disease and was even featured on a billboard in?Times Square of New York City.?She is proof that pain, scars, and strength are a different kind of beauty.

?I also have another friend who has similarly endured pain, has scars, and displays that strength that goes with it.?She was involved in a head on car collision and overcame multiple surgeries.?After she recovered (surprisingly quickly), I invited her out to a charitable golf scramble and, it hit me that day, that most people didn’t see the strength that she showed, which I was in awe of, but instead many people approached her with sympathy and as if she was fragile.?She is actually the opposite, having endured pain and displayed an example of strength that should be admired.

?Great accomplishments in life are only great because they were not easy.?They are inherently accompanied by pain (regardless of the type), and sacrifice, and triumph over those forces.?Tremendous things can be achieved with a little courage and a tolerance for pain.

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Jason Hornberger is a 30-something year old commercial lender at Orrstown Bank in Berks County.?He would likely be considered a dinosaur by his Millennial peers, but he tries to regularly put together engaging content to show his brand and thought process.?Social media is an online billboard and his goal is to establish himself as an ethical thought leader and someone that other people want to engage with (hopefully in business and in the community).