Healing

God has created our bodies with an amazing capacity for healing. Little cuts and bruises heal on their own because God built that into our systems. More serious injuries or surgeries require more serious treatment. But usually, with the help of doctors and medicines, our body recovers from trauma.

I’ve been thinking about that because I recently cut my finger. It wasn’t a large cut, but deep, and right on the tip of my middle finger. Since I’m on a blood thinner, it bled a lot and I eventually went to urgent care and got some stitches to hold it together. Not fun! But I tried not to complain about such a minor thing when it’s nothing compared to what our son went through earlier this year. He had a fourteen hour surgery on his back, which will require months of recovery time.

I gladly got my stitches out recently, and I’m gradually getting back to typing and playing the piano. It’s challenging to be plagued with such sensitivity in my fingertips. But healing is taking place. That’s the amazing part. The skin grows new cells. The nerves gradually heal. The space knits back together. All because God designed that process.

It’s interesting to compare that to the Body of Christ. When a part of it, even a small part, is injured, there is pain. Sometimes we suffer accidents. Sometimes we are harmed on purpose.  But what happens when that sore spot is continually irritated? What if no help is offered or no healing solutions are applied? What if the pain is accentuated by constantly using what should be given a rest? Do we want healing, or do we want to harbor bitterness that attracts attention to our pity party? Maybe this is a good time to ask the question, “What would Jesus do?”

Here’s some good advice from the apostle Paul. “Do all you have to do without grumbling or arguing, so that you may be God’s children, blameless, sincere and wholesome, living in a warped and diseased world, and shining there like lights in a dark place. For you hold in your hands the very word of life” (Philippians 2:14-15, J. B. Phillips). “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13, NIV). And how does Christ forgive? Totally, and without a grudge. Remember that He even asked God to forgive those who nailed Him to a cross. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34, NIV). There may be scars, but they can be good reminders of God’s grace in our healing.

Is there healing that needs to take place in your heart? Do you share some scars with the Master? Are you helping someone who is suffering bear it patiently?