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Friendly Wounds

9/19/2010

5 Comments

 
I’ve spent many days praying and pondering on what should I post on His Blog.  And there are many posts that I started writing...and then deleted.  It just didn’t seem to be the post that needed to go up.

The Lord has told me to preach from the housetops that which He teaches me in the dark (Mt 10:27).  He has shown me many truths in my time with Him, my reading of scripture, through my Pastor when he teaches, through discipleship, and through devotionals.  Yet, all of that doesn’t seem to be what today’s post is to be.


I have nothing to offer – except that which I have lived and where Christ has revealed Himself to me (and confirmed by scripture).


So today’s post will be about getting hurt and forgiving.  Getting hurt by those who love you and forgiving those we love.


We expect to be hurt by our enemies; it is, perhaps, their goal to see our destruction.  We are very well aware of this and, therefore, prepare for that ‘battle’ (at least we try to prepare for it) with the love of Christ.  We know that we cannot do anything without Christ because unless we abide in Him, we can do nothing.  It appears that we understand this somewhat; we seem to grasp this truth for split seconds in our lives.


Yet, when we are hurt by those who love us - and we know that they love us - we seem to be cut deeper than our enemy’s spear.  Why?  Could it be that we are vulnerable to those who love us and so the wound not only stings, but debilitates our whole being? 

While we are told to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, and bless those who curse us, I seem to ‘process’ healing differently for those who love me (and know the Lord).  While I have forgiven my brother or sister when they have wounded me and asked for forgiveness, I feel weak.  It may sound crazy, but this weakness is not limited to the spiritual realm, I feel weakness in my soul and body.  Why?

I know some would say (as I, too, say): indeed it is because you have not forgiven; you are still holding this individual responsible for your wound - you must let him/her go.  But in all honesty, I would and do answer that I have forgiven him or her.  I don’t want to withhold forgiveness from those whom I love (and also from those who seek to destroy me); not only because the Lord commands me to do so, but because that is what Christ did for me.  This, however, doesn’t make the sting un-sting; this doesn’t make the wound un-wound.  Nevertheless, I can say today that the sting is un-stung, the wound is un-wounded.

So what did I learn, with pain (so that it will be etched in my heart and not archived in some folder within my memory), about being wounded by those who love us and forgiving those we love?  It is a miracle.


Miracle that being the beast that I am, Christ died for my sins.
Miracle that in this fallen state, we can utter the words: I forgive you.

Miracle that the wounds are healed by God Himself.

Miracle that we don’t inflict more wounds than we already do.

Miracle that we are able to look at pain and forgiveness with God's reason and love.

Miracle that He molds and transforms us to His image through the pain of wounding and the healing of forgiving.

It is all a miracle.


In my view (perhaps not the dictionary’s or a theologian’s view), a miracle is an action, event, feeling, decision, or state that is changed, not by man’s efforts but by God’s hand, from what was its original purpose to a purpose that glorifies God. 


So a wound was meant to hurt; the miracle is that the wound is lifted and love is left in its place. 


The pain was meant to bring unforgiveness and war; the miracle is that we forgive despite feeling pain and peace overcomes. 


The weakness was meant to isolate us from our brothers and sisters and our Father; the miracle is that from the ashes, we rise and come together with our brother or sister to worship our Lord (not by our strength, but by His).

The hand of God moves the hearts of kings, the events in history, the planets and galaxies in the universe.  Thank you Holy Spirit for moving our willful hearts to do and conform to the will of the Father.  Thank you for emptying these vessels. 

5 Comments
louis vuitton outlet link
11/29/2010 11:54:38 am

If you say you love your job, but your actions say otherwise, which do you think is more true — your words or your actions?

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Empty Vessels link
12/3/2010 06:01:33 pm

I think that whether our job is paving the streets or delivering food and aid to marginalized communities, loving our job would be in direct disobedience to God. We are to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, soul and strength (Dt 6:5) - we cannot do the same with our job because we would then be serving two masters, of which we will end up hating one or the other (Mt 6:24). At our jobs, we work as unto the Lord and not our boss/company; therefore, our actions would be those evidencing our belief and love for the Lord. However, because we are in this fallen state, I believe there will be times (many I should say) when we are weak and our actions do not reflect those of someone who is abiding in Christ (because, well, we are not abiding in Christ), rather, they will reflect those of someone who is walking in the flesh (or abiding in him/herself). These fruits, or this evidence, is not only visible in our personal relationships, but also in our work relationships and the work itself. So it is really a matter of where our love is placed that will dictate which actions will follow - be it a our job, home, with friends, with strangers.

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Empty Vessels link
2/16/2011 11:34:01 pm

I've been tempted to delete the previous post for some time - but it is better for it to stay so that there is record of changes in heart :)

So thinking about the question 'louis vuitton outlet' posted, 'more true' doesn't exist. If some statement contains 99% truth and 1% not truth, then the whole statement becomes not truth. In order for truth to be true, it has to be 100% truth.

I suspect that the case that is mentioned here has to do more with someone not meet your expectations of what you believe love is, rather than someone's behavior at their job. But our expectations of what love is, is tainted by our twisted view of this world. The best definition of love is" For God so loved the world, He gave His ONLY begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, not perish but have everlasting life'.

If I say I 'love my job' (which really, it is better and right to say I like my job instead), but actions show otherwise, there are two possible reasons:
1. I am a hypocrite and am a liar. And so, do not like my job AT ALL. Because, remember, there is no such thing as 'more true'. My whole life is a sham because I profess to follow the Truth and in my heart do not believe it, and that is why the actions follow in the manner in which they do.

2. I do like my job, but in that particular day or period of time my actions did not follow what I believe. Shocker! But, how many times has someone who loves us said hurting words to us? Does this mean that the moment they say something in pride and hurtful to us, then they have never loved us and do not love us? Let's turn the question how it should be: Does this mean that the moment we say something in pride and hurtful to our brother, sister, husband, wife, son, daughter or friend, we have never loved him/her and do not love him/her?

To answer the real question by 'louis vuitton outlet', then if I judge my brothers and sisters by their actions, then I must be ready to be judged by ALL my actions. If I judge my brothers and sisters by their words, then I must be ready to be judged by ALL my words.

However, if we go to God and ask for forgiveness, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Our words and our actions are not the focus of our walk, they are the product of our walk with Christ. And because we still have our flesh and are constantly waring with our flesh, we will fall - BUT He who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.

If you have something against your brother and sister, leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

So next time someone's actions are not loving toward us, let us find out why before rushing to conclusions that the person does not love us. It could be that someone is going through something we are not aware of, has distanced him/herself from the Lord, or is being prideful. In all three cases, a true friend loves at all times and will not abandon him or her. Also remember, a prideful action from a believer does not qualify him or her to be removed from being a child of God (in fact, once a child of God, always a child of God); so in like manner, this prideful action does not mean the person does not love you or me.


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10/2/2012 07:40:20 pm

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Henryswiecanews link
6/30/2023 08:53:54 pm

Great post, thanks.

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