“…Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God…” – Isaiah 43:1-3
I cut my hand a couple of months ago. I was washing dishes, and a glass broke in my hand. I felt the sting of the cut, and saw a small stream of blood mixing in with the soapy water. It was a small cut, about a ¼ inch in length, but that sucker hurt. I put Neosporin® on it after the bleeding stopped and kept it bandaged for more than a week.
I can barely see the scar now, but one thing I noticed is how long it’s taken for it to stop hurting. Every time I bumped it against some surface or intentionally touched it, I was reminded of cut. The site epidermis looked pretty normal, but the inside of the cut area still hurt, and did so for weeks. It’s just been recently that I’ve noticed the hurt is gone.
When I was very young (7 or 8), I jumped off the top of a playground sliding board. I’m not sure why I did it. I can’t remember if it was because others were doing it or in response to a dare. The ground surface was rough asphalt. When I hit ground, I fell on my side and ripped a gash the size of a 50 cent coin a few inches above my hip. I ran home crying in pain with blood on my shirt. My dad took a look at the wound and decided to clean it out with rubbing alcohol. I think I screamed when he did it. Sixty years later, I still have the scar as a reminder, but the pain is nearly a forgotten memory.
1I think our soul wounds tend to follow the pattern of the first example more than the second. Our outside may appear to be perfectly normal, particularly to those who are unfamiliar with our history. And often our inside may have reached a relatively calm following the passage of time, allowing us to forget (or at least pushed to the very rear of our consciousness). It’s when someone or something triggers a reminder of what caused the wound that we may feel that inside pain all over again. Years, even decades may pass, and yet those little (and sometimes big) nicks and slices we’ve suffered, though invisible to others, come back to haunt and torment us from time to time. I’ve experienced this, know that I am not alone. I have heard the testimonies of too many people (often unaware that they were doing so) to deny this reality.
One of the best things I’ve experienced in Christ is the freedom that comes from acknowledging past hurts, mostly to myself, but sometimes to trusted others as well. Acknowledgement doesn’t mean that the hurtful memory totally disappears, but that I don’t have to be captive to it. I can recognize it, call it for what it is, and move on in the confidence that Jesus has redeemed it (along with the rest of me) and the Father will be glorified by it when I offer it in faith. Most of the time, I’m not sure how He will do this, but He has shown me enough in past for me to trust Him with the rest. I am His, and give Him my all, including the bumps, bruises, and cuts that life throws.
Jesus, He meets you where you are
Jesus, He heals your secret scars
All the love you’re longing for is Jesus
The friend of a wounded heart.2
- Quote from Alexandra Eva May, https://www.thesplendidpath.com/home
- Chorus: Friend of a Wounded Heart by Wayne Watson. Copyright held by Word Entertainment LLC, A Curb Company. 25 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203
© Byron L. Hannon, 2019. All rights reserved for all other text content.
JUST 1 VOICE 