Where In the Heart Does the Hurt Draw Near From?

Hurts are dangerous things that affect us all. Because we need acceptance—one of a human’s innate needs—we will be stung by varying forms of rejection. Much of the time the knowledge of our hurts is blocked, or we deny them, or they play on our hearts too much.

Hurts tend to be buried too far to access or they are dredged up with unfortunate ease.

Of course, the antithesis of hurt is healing and we all need to be healed—both in a momentary context as well as in the context within succeeding moments throughout the rest of our lives. We are never beyond being hurt.

But there is a vital truth we must know if we are to be healed—if we are to approach healing, knowing that many cannot or will not do such a thing.

This vital truth is simply having the courage to own and honour the truth about ourselves—the ugly, despicable, irretrievable, regretful, and untameable secrets.

But there is a problem we have in doing that: how are we to approach such horrible truths about ourselves and own them and honour them if we are either scared of those realities or as they seem too much work for the reward offered?

Many people sidestep the opportunities at healing to remain in a life of relative spiritual death because it is too uncomfortable to change and too comfortable to remain the way they are.

Enter God.

God creates the miracle of healing—a miracle we may not believe is possible—when we truly own and honour the truth about ourselves; those things we cannot change but have to accept, if we are to move on to the fullness we are anointed by God to enjoy.

God does this inexplicably, unfathomably, but, just as much, irrefutably.

As soon as we approach the truths in our lives and we don’t run, but we stand there and face them, by honouring these truths, God honours us by a miracle of healing.

Running is forlorn. It is listening to the devil and taking heed of erroneous advice; very often what our minds are up to is a delusion of doubt, of seclusion within those sinister truths, and of self-protection, when to run actually exposes the self, and doesn’t protect it.

Our job in life—in the emotional and relational rub of life—is to detect where in our hearts our hurts draw near from. Where do they speak to us and cause us to fear? Why is it so? And why are we to fear this fear?

Openness to truth usually reveals it to not contain much fear at all, though we should never downplay the seriousness of our hurts. The seriousness of our hurts and the action of approaching them are two separate things. The former will cause much sorrow, anger and grief, but the latter actually helps to soothe the sorrow, anger and grief.

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As soon as we approach the truths in our lives and we don’t run, but we stand there and face them, by honouring these truths, God honours us by a miracle of healing. Facing life full frontal, without fears for the past or trepidation in the present, is the way to the abundant life everyone is called to enjoy.

© 2013 S. J. Wickham.