Healing Wounds
by  Michelle Stace

 

 
"Permit yourself to be wounded by your enemy, and your wounds will heal his wounds.

He who has suffered can help other sufferers. We are wounded in order that we may learn from
the great Physician how  to bind up wounds and give aid."
~ G. Steinberger ~

     Can you bear being stabbed and beaten by another? Can you bear being bruised and bloodied? Can you still respond with love and forgiveness? Not an easy thing. And yet this is what our Savior bears for us each time we sin, each time we reject Him and choose anything but Him, each time we are ashamed to speak His name.  He bears this for us and does not reject. He overcomes the wounds we inflict on Him, again and again, with His love and forgiveness. And it heals us.
     I remember many years ago watching an old Star Trek rerun. In this particular episode the doctor had been badly beaten. He was in much pain, suffering from external, as well as internal, wounds. There was a young woman in this episode who was mute. When she saw the suffering of the doctor and the inability of his friends to help him, she began to help. She put her hands on a particular wound - it would disappear from him and appear on her. Her expression showed the pain of each wound that she took upon herself. She did this until he was completely healed. This may seem like a ridicules comparison, but it speaks volumes.

"God visits us with trials in order to teach us to carry the burdens of others.

Suffering enlarges the heart in that it creates sympathy. By this is not meant merely feeling

or expressing some sympathetic emotion,it is rather that deep heartfelt participation which feels

another's burden and needs as mush as he himself does."    

~ G. Steinberger ~

     Most have read stories about people like Corrie Ten Boom who suffered in W.W.II prison camps under unspeakable conditions and were treated inhumanly by guards and officials. How  indescribably difficult it would be in those situations to "love your enemies," and to bear the suffering with an undisturbed inner joy and trust and rest that only the Savior gives. It can only happen where the self-life is utterly lost. Situations like this are something most of us will only read about. But there is a situation close to home, that I would say every person faces to one extent or another, and which occurs in some of our closest relationships. There is usually at least one very dear person in your life who is extremely hard to live with. Maybe they aren't a believer, maybe they harass or ridicule you. Maybe they have an addiction. Whatever it is, they are like a goad or thorn in the side. What makes it so hard is this person is near and dear to you - or at least should be.
     This person is like the doctor in the Star Trek episode in that he is wounded and in pain. Because of this pain, he lashes out at you. He is sarcastic and critical. Can you bear this? Can you take accept the wounds he inflicts? Can you love this "enemy" who is so close to you? The kind of love needed to overcome - to heal - is only to be had by our Precious Savior. The Bible says love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. Jesus is the fountain of Life that supplies this to us through the Holy Spirit -  but only as self is emptied out of us leaving room for Him to fill us.
     Why should we bear the wounds of another? Because our Savior did it for us in order to bring us to Him. He wants us to be willing to do the same for others. It is a gift and a privilege that Jesus would want to use us as vessels to bring another to Himself.  And we can serve Him in this beautiful way only as we abide in Him.
     The hindrance of being able to make this sacrifice for others is self. If you take these wounds personally and allow them to enter your heart, you become angry, critical, condemning, withdrawn and self-righteous. This serves to make you miserable and ineffective to be a light for God to that person. Your eyes cannot be fixed on self (or circumstances) and God at the same time. You will always be hopeless and discouraged when looking at your circumstances through the eyes of self. But there is great hope and peace when looking at circumstances through the eyes of God, because ALL things are possible with Him.
      If you fix your eyes on our Heavenly Father you will be able to look at that person in a detached sort of way. What I mean is that you will be able to look at them apart from the pain they inflict on you. You will be able to perceive their motives for certain actions. Instead of being irritated, hurt or offended, you will be able to see their pain and have compassion for them. You will also begin to see some good in the things they do. After all God is in control of everything and works everything for your good. Perhaps you see something they do as unnecessary or costly. Here again, you are making a judgment based on your very limited understanding. But ultimately God uses this act for your good or someone else’s.
     What if a dear one rejects your love and cannot, nor will not, understand you? - they have falsely accused you or questioned your good motives. The only way I have found to bear this is to turn the situation around . . . how many times have I rejected my Savior's love and refused to accept or see His way? This is really what it's all about. Jesus made Himself vulnerable to man. He willingly put Himself in a position of great risk, of exposure.  He opened His heart knowing He was in for intense suffering. He did this out of love and compassion for us. We are to be partakers of His suffering - the servant is not greater than the master. How can we expect to suffer less than He did? He knows why we behave as we do - self and sin. But He sees beyond that and knows what we can be in Him. His love, and faithfulness to complete His work, make us a new creation. He instills His qualities in us as we become empty and yielded to Him. In this way we become an instrument of mercy for Him. What an indescribable blessing to be used by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Let us look through the eyes of Jesus to see what others can be in Him!