There comes a point in time when we lose our childish, carefree ways, and begin to feel and think. When we reach this point, we are exposed to the great vulnerability of getting hurt.
There is the minor hurt, the scrapes and bruises on our hearts when friends don’t invite us to sleep overs or someone says something rude about you. Then there is the slightly more painful hurt, the hurt of foolishly falling for a boy and thinking you’re in love, making a mistake that you should have thought through. Finally comes the big pain, the pain that ripples through you and causes you to weep. Whether it’s losing a loved one, a child or husband, or someone taking from you that was not theirs to take, someone you trust betraying you in a large way, maybe it’s even getting put out of your home because your parents can’t take care of you, or your dad not loving you the way he should and being completely selfish, leaving you in the dust. This is the pain that does not so easily go away. This is no longer “band-aid” pain, but stitches and sutures, when much antibiotics are needed, and still you get infected.
We get infected with bitterness, depression, indifference, selfishness, hate. All because one person inflicted a seemingly unforgivable pain on us. Instead of the prescribed antibiotics we go to the drugs and alcohol, and even self harm and suicide.
We have all experienced this kind of pain. If you haven’t, you will. With this pain comes the hopelessness of never being healed. We try to look for a time where we won’t be broken into a million little pieces, we hang on to the “time heals all wounds” that everyone is telling us. All we see in the future is more pain, and the healing never arriving.
There is no “time healing all wounds”, there is only “getting used to having a gaping hole in my leg”. There is no hope for being healed, not for those who don’t know about the Christ, the Healer of all wounds.
Oh, but this is to the broken and hopeless and the ones in pain. I am not here to tell you there is no hope of healing, I am not here to tell you to get used to it. I have been in your place. I am young, and have not been through the worst, but I have experienced the unforgivable pain. But I have found hope, I have found healing. It takes a while, for the cells to grow back and to be healed enough to no longer need stitches.
There is Someone Who is skillful enough to bind up and heal any wound, no matter how severe, no matter how hopeless.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
“He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction” Psalms 107:20
“And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.” Matthew 19:2
Jesus was a healer during His time on earth. Thousands of people would crowd around Him just to touch the hem of his coat and be healed. He healed the blind, the lame, diseased, the demon-possessed. He brought people back from the dead! I know what you may be thinking. I’m not blind or lame or dead, I don’t need that kind of healing. Besides, Jesus is not even on Earth to provide the healing I need.” And you’re right, you don’t need that healing, and He is not on Earth. But Broken and Wounded, Christ is in Heaven, waiting and anxious to give you the healing you need. He will lead you to forgive, and show you what love is. It is such a simple request we must put in, and such a sweet reply.
“ O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.” Psalm 30:2
“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.” Jeremiah 17:14
“And he said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’” Matthew 8:7
Take a moment with me, and think on those words, I will come and heal him. How sweet they are, how powerful. All we must do is cry to God, cry for help, cry for healing, and He will come.
Even when we feel as though we don’t deserve healing, even when the pain is our own fault.
“Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases.” Psalm 103:3
“I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.” Hosea 14:4
Christ heals, not because we deserve it, but because He loves us.
My Dear Broken Friend,
I am right next to you in line for this healing. I am not put together, I am not a cleaned up nor am I a perfect Christian. My brokenness hurts, and my wounds come back to prevent the good things of the Lord. However, healing is here! It is so readily available, and it is free, it is good, and it is oh so sweet. I close with the sweetest scripture I have found. The words are written so beautifully, and they are filled to the brim with truth.
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” Lamentations 3:21-25
As we go through our day, and begin this new year, let us always have hope. Hope of healing, hope of love, hope of joy. Let us always be waiting for the Lord, let us seek Him and His sweet and pure healing.
Don’t just read these verses and forget, think on them, pray on them, let the One who loves endlessly heal you.
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