When the dust settles over that old wound again,
and it suddenly feels fresh,
raw,
like the frayed wire it’s always been,
only open and
exposed on the surface,
metal against metal,
hot lava where your heart should be –

Do you ever wonder where your Creator is?
After all these years,
is some strange Glory hiding
in the rubble of these broken dreams?
Why won’t these fires stop burning?
Will God ever reveal something beautiful happening here?

When Divine Hands reach down and gently clear
the dusty lens
of our understanding,
we can finally see clearly
what this pain is for…

A greater love is being forged
like a diamond under pressure,
worthy of patience and so much more…
This ground
is being hallowed,
cleared for new growth.

On earth or in heaven,
we will live to see
wildflowers of redemption
spread like weeds of Divinity here.
Soon enough,
the sweet aroma of freedom
will dance through these hills,
a gift for everyone with the grace
to slow down and inhale.

 

“The glory of God is man fully alive”
– Saint Iraeneus

“Nobody escapes being wounded. We all are wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. The main question is not “How can we hide our wounds?” so we don’t have to be embarrassed, but “How can we put our woundedness in the service of others?” When our wounds cease to be a source of shame, and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers. Jesus is God’s wounded healer: through his wounds we are healed. Jesus’ suffering and death brought joy and life. His humiliation brought glory; his rejection brought a community of love. As followers of Jesus we can also allow our wounds to bring healing to others.”
-Henri Nouwen

Life on planet earth is not for the faint of heart.

Some of us are wounded in more dramatic ways than others, but to a degree we all have emotional sore spots, aches and pains, old remnants of trauma and heartache. Whether we’ve experienced the loss of a loved one to death, addiction or mental illness or some other kind of tragedy, betrayal, trauma or illness, there are many wounds we carry in our humanity, which can be triggered from time to time, long after we think we’re finally healed.

As people of faith, the question is: where is God’s glory in our pain and suffering? Or maybe a better question is: How can we invite God’s glory into our pain and suffering?

God is love.

So the question is: How can we invite God’s love into our pain and suffering?

In His life, Jesus loved at all times. Even while being crucified, His heart was full of love and forgiveness for those, who were causing His pain, along with acknowledgement that they didn’t really understand the severity of what they were doing to Him.

When those old wounds startle us by coming back up into the surface, we can ask ourselves: Where is God’s love in this pain? Do we need to forgive ourselves or others? Do we need to cultivate the fruits of the spirit including patience, gentleness, love, self control and faith in this pain? Should we pray for the gifts of the Spirit including wisdom and understanding? How can we serve others, who face similar challenges or help others carry their similar crosses, so to speak?

No matter how deeply we ourselves are struggling and longing to be healed, we can vow never to hurt anyone in the same way and reach out with compassion for others, who are going through similar situations. Even though we ourselves may never fully heal from the greatest heartache of our lives, by the grace of God, we can experience the fullness of joy, along with our sorrow and live lives of faith, increasingly learning to allow God’s love to flow through our brokenness into the world.

Lord in our humanity, it can be hard to understand why life has to be so hard when we know that You are all love and mercy, and we know You have the power to heal us in an instant! Instead of losing faith and turning to bitterness and despair in our suffering, help us to see Your glory in our deepest wounds like Saint Augustine did! Give us the grace to unite our sufferings to Yours on the cross, for the good of all. In our heartache, cultivate wisdom, compassion and faith that allow Your love to flow into the world through our brokenness. Help us to be wounded healers, leaving a legacy of grace in this aching world. In Jesus name, we pray.

written by Nicky Gant for http://www.uniteinprayer.org 10/9/2019