Sacred Wounds
In our brokenness, we are most aware of our vulnerability and need for comfort. And that realization can be a gateway to deeper intimacy with the Maker of Heaven and Earth.
I don’t know anybody who isn’t nursing any emotional wounds. It’s common to the human experience. And that pain changes us.
I once asked a man who lost his mother when he was young what he could remember about her. Specifically, I wanted to know if she was nurturing.
“I’m not sure what that means,” he said.
That’s heartbreaking, isn’t it?
I don’t know the man well, but he seems to have a tough exterior and finds it hard to relate to people, which is certainly understandable. He usually has a smile on his face, but in my mid-fifties, I’ve learned to not trust smiles. They are often a mask.
That said, pain can be an agent for spiritual intimacy.
Annie Downs wrote a book titled Looking for Lovely: Collecting the Moments That Matter. In her “Tragedy” chapter, she writes about a male friend whose heart was broken over a failed relationship.
“This is the most profound pain of my life,” he told her. “But it also feels sacred.”
Annie’s instinct was to pray for God to heal his heart so the pain would end.
“No,” he told her, “I need this. I need to know God here. It feels important. Sacred.”
Remember how you felt when your mother met you at the front door, antiseptic and Band-Aids in hand after you fell off your skateboard or swing set? Between sobs, you explained what happened. She listened, speaking in a soothing tone, and fixed you up, maybe even applying a kiss to the bandage once she applied it.
She loved you before you skinned your knee, and she loved you afterward too. But there’s something about the nurturing touch of the woman who gave you birth. She wants to join you in your pain, and her love and touch provide healing properties -- maybe more so than the antiseptic or antibiotic cream she applied to the wound.
It’s an oversimplification, but maybe this is what Annie’s friend was talking about. He sensed God’s nearness when his heart was shattered. And while the man would have never wished for the circumstances, he also wasn’t quick to wish them away.
There’s a lesson for all of us in that.
In our brokenness, we are most aware of our vulnerability and need for comfort. And that realization can be a gateway to deeper intimacy with the Maker of Heaven and Earth who is never too busy to sit with us.
August Spotlight
God has called you to fly solo — at least for now. Make the most of it.
Never-married Christians over the age of twenty-five have many unique challenges. We struggle with the way we are perceived, both inside and outside the church. We wonder if God plans for us to remain unmarried our entire lives, and if he does, how we will ever make it. And, in recent decades, we’ve even been caught in the courtship vs. dating crossfire.
In this 30-day devotional, Lee — himself a never-married 50-something — walks you through these issues, and more, exploring what the Bible has to say, using humor, honesty, and an encouraging tone.
Here are some tidbits you might find interesting this week:
Living in the Shadow of Death by Joshua Becker is so good.
“If I am fully known and not rejected by God, how much more ought I to extend grace to my neighbor, whom I know only in part?” -Jen Wilkin
Listen to an entire album this weekend. It’s so much more intimate than just listening to hits or a playlist.
Please read this article this weekend: The People Jesus Loves.
“The world asks, ‘What does a man own?’ Christ asks, ‘How does he use it?’” - Andrew Murray
When Lee isn’t writing essays, devotional books, or Christian fiction, he is a freelance editor, as well as a freelance journalist who has written hundreds of articles for various newspapers and magazines. He’s also a fan of NASCAR, baseball, tennis, books, movies and coffee shops.