Are We Willing to Thank God for Pain?

Dr. Paul W. Brand, the noted leprosy expert, was chief of the rehabilitation branch of the Leprosarium in Carville, Louisiana. Dr. Brand had a frightening experience one night when he thought he had contracted leprosy. He was getting ready for bed one night. He took off his shoes, and as he pulled off a sock, he discovered there was no feeling in his heel. Because of his expertise concerning leprosy, Dr. Brand knew that one of the early signs of the disease is the loss of feeling—numbness in the lower extremities.