Breaking the Pain Cycle

Shared by Kimberly Sciscoe

The words below touched me deeply. They are penned by a trusted friend and intercessor, Kim Wynn. Her message is freeing and redeeming. You will find a guide for healing from pain and a roadmap that keeps pain from taking over your life path.

There are many types of pain: physical, mental, emotional, even spiritual. I have experienced all of these at one time or another.

There have been times when my physical pain was so great that I would lash out at those around me. Most of the time it was a very close friend or immediate family member. I never intended to hurt anyone, but the pain would be severe enough that I didn’t realize what I was saying or how much it hurt them. Afterward, I would feel extremely bad and apologize, but it would be too late. The damage was done, the offense taken.

I have been on both ends of offense, and neither place is good. Unfortunately, pain and offense come to all. The way we handle it is what makes the difference. 

Hurting people hurt people, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Pain moves like seismic energy, an unseen and indiscriminate force moving beneath the surface from person to person. People don’t mean to wound those closest to them, but their words can cause seismic reactions that fracture. Unresolved trauma releases pressure to the next unsuspecting victim, and the cycle is repeated from spouse to spouse, parent to child, friend to friend, ever forward, leaving damage in its wake.

As I was praying about this, I asked the Lord if there was a way to stop the pain cycle. The Lord spoke two words into my spirit: “earthquake springs.” I didn’t know what the term meant, so I did a search to discover what earthquake springs were and how they worked. The article said that earthquake springs were part of a seismic isolation system that helps to reduce structural damage. The “springs” are made of steel or rubber and inserted in a mote created to isolate a building from ground motion caused by seismic waves. The word isolation stopped me. I said, “Lord, we are a part of the Body. We aren’t supposed to isolate ourselves from one another.” He responded, “I did.”

My mind immediately went to the times when Jesus would go apart by Himself. I said, “Yes, Lord, but people who isolate themselves are more easily deceived by the devil. We are supposed to stay connected to the Body.” He said, “Yes, but you can isolate yourself unto Me.”

I connected with this because I like to have what I call “God time,” when I step away from everyone and everything for a couple days and spend time in prayer and the Word. I decided I needed to look into this more, so I messaged a friend who is much smarter than I and deals with this kind of thing. I roughly explained my thought process, and this is what he said. 

“There are some who walk so deeply with the Lord that they function as absorbers instead of amplifiers. Like seismic isolators beneath a building, they are not rigidly attached to offense. They are grounded in prayer, rooted in the Word, and accountable in community. The pain still arrives, but it doesn’t rise. They absorb the shock without becoming the damage. This kind of behavior doesn’t occur accidentally. Isolation systems must be maintained, inspected, strengthened, and kept free from corrosion.” 

He continued, “In the same way, a believer who absorbs pain must live a life of continual prayer, daily Bible-reading, honest accountability, and regular repentance and renewal. Without maintenance, even the strongest absorber becomes rigid, and rigidity is where damage begins. Someone must be strong enough in Christ to stop the quake not by hardening their heart, but by being flexible, anchored, and maintained in Him.”

Scripture says…

·       “Bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2) → absorption

·       “Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19) → decoupling reaction

·       “Above all, guard your heart…” (Proverbs 4:23) → maintenance

·       “Love bears all things…” (I Corinthians 13:7) → controlled absorption

Our ultimate example is Jesus, who absorbed betrayal without passing it on.

I pray that during this new year we will acquire such a depth in our relationship with Jesus and be anchored so securely in His Word that we can be Jesus’ “earthquake springs.”

© 2026 Kim Wynn