Healing

I didn’t learn to ride a bike until a few years ago. Every time I fell, I would get so upset. I remember the last time I fell, I slipped on some loose gravel and scraped my hands and knees. Just looking at the bloody cuts, with the little pieces of gravel and grass imbedded into my skin, made me cry. I was embarrassed, mad, and sad, all at the same time. Once I washed the cuts, got all the debris out, put some triple antibiotic, and slapped several band-aids on, I felt a little better. The wounds would take some time to heal, but I had taken the first step to recovery.

The healing process starts with forgiveness. Forgiveness is like washing away the debris in a wound. A clean wound is much more likely to heal. If you just cover up a cut without flushing it out properly, it’s much more likely to get infected. Bitterness festers without forgiveness. The soothing balm of God’s Word is like the antibiotic that penetrates deep into our lacerations, preventing invasive, disease-causing microbes from multiplying within us. Finally, cover the wound with God’s grace and wait. Don’t pick at the scabs. Don’t mess with it unless you see signs of infection. I find that refreshing the bandage of grace, on a daily basis, promotes healing.

“Then your salvation (light) will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.”
(Isaiah 58:8 NLT)