Living your wounds through

There are times when I come across a thought so profound, so "deep" that I have to sit back and take a few moments (even days) to think it through.

Let me give you one from Henri Nouwen (that I read today).

Henri Nouwen writes about the fact that we have all been wounded in many ways.

That is a fact.

It is a given.

You and I will be hurt in life.

Henri Nouwen writes, "the more you open yourself to being healed, the more you will discover how deep your wounds are.  You will be tempted to become discouraged because under every wound you uncover you will find others.  Your search for true healing will be a suffering search.  Many tears still need to be shed."

He goes on to write, "do not be afraid.  The simple fact that you are more aware of your wounds shows that you have sufficient strength to face them."

And then the sentence that causes pause, "the great challenge is living your wounds through instead of thinking them through."

Not running from the pain, not trying to understand the pain, but truly embracing and living through the pain.

I quote again, "It is better to cry than to worry, better to feel your wounds deeply than to understand them, better to let them enter into your silence than to talk about them.  The choice you face constantly is whether you are taking your hurts to your head or to your heart."

Nouwen suggests that true healing, healing that brings wholeness comes from taking the pain from your head to your heart.

You and I are tempted to analyze our hurt, find the causes and the consequences and coin words to speak and write about them.

But true healing comes from letting the wounds go down into our hearts.

As you experience the pain in your heart (soul, emotions) you and I begin got discover that we are going to make it - that we will not be destroyed.  That with Jesus in us, we are greater than our wounds.

That means I practically let go of the "Who, What, When, Where and Why".

Now then, I would suggest that you take the above thoughts and let them seep into your spirit.

And experience, truly experience what you are walking through - rather than running away from it.

In the end - you will be stronger for it.

Just a thought for a Tuesday.