Wounds are a reality of life; it's just part of living in a fallen world. They come in many forms and from many sources, and each of us is going to be wounded numerous times. The good news is that wounds can heal, forming beautiful scars that tell amazing stories. Unfortunately, too many of us never seek healing from our wounds. We hide them out of fear or shame, out of a longing to protect ourselves from further hurt, or a desire to seem independent and self-sufficient. I say all of this from personal experience.
I've been wounded.
My wounds have come from people, experiences, and setbacks. Some of them were a result of my own immaturity and pride, others were inflicted by others, but each one was left to fester. I hid my wounds for a lot of reasons. People would come to me for advice, and I felt that I had to have it all together for them. I felt that I couldn't need people because they always needed me. I never acknowledged where I was hurting or when. I hid my wounds out of pride. I wanted to appear strong, mature, and on top of things, so I wouldn't let myself appear weak. I hid my wounds out of shame, not wanting to acknowledge the fact that I had been hurt, not wanting to allow emotions to have a part of who I was.
I was wounded, but I didn't want anyone to know because I didn't want to need anyone's help, I didn't want to look weak or inadequate, and I didn't want to deal with any of the pain of the past experience. I took my wounds and covered them with "band-aids" hoping they would heal on their own, but deep cuts like these don't heal without medial attention. They festered, the tissue died, and left untreated it spread and began to infect healthy parts of the body. I was bitter and angry, maybe even hateful in some cases, and the longer I left everything unacknowledged, the worse it all got. The wounds were infected and it was spreading.
When I finally realized the damage that was occurring in my life, I began to allow God to work. He removed the band-aids I had applied to cover the wounds, cut out the dead tissue, and began the slow process of stitching up the many wounds I had. It has been a long process, and we aren't done yet, but God has been at work in my life, and I'm healthier now than I have been years. I have scars that tell stories, not wounds that cause me constant agony.
The band-aid was removed when I acknowledged that I was wounded and needed God's healing to take place.
The dead tissue was cut away as I began to accept the experience for what it was, acknowledging the pain and impact on my life, and letting myself grieve.
The stitching took place by facing the source of the wound. For this step I made several trips, revisiting places and allowing God to bring restoration.
In the next several posts I'm going to share stories of wounds and healing. Right now there are five that I'm thinking of, four of these I will for sure share, and we'll see what else God brings to mind.
We all have wounds, and all of us can have scars. God's desire is not for you be the walking wounded, living in agony because of the past hurts you've experienced, He wants to bring healing, but He's a good doctor, and He will not force treatment upon you. Healing is available, and though the process will be a little painful, the end result is totally worth it. A few moments of pain lead to life of freedom and restoration.
Let me share with you the story of my scars, and may my tale of healing lead you to experience God's restoration in your own life.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
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