Just yesterday while my youngest daughter and I were in the car, she had been talking about her experiences with pulling out her teeth. Then, she shared an observation she had made. My daughter said that hours after the tooth had been pulled out, she could still spot a remnant of blood in that area and she felt a great deal of pain. A day or two later, the pain was there but less intense. As each day passed, the pain lessened until eventually the area had been healed.
My daughter’s observation left me thinking about the wounds we deal with, specifically the emotional ones. For instance, I thought about the times I had been rejected. I felt as if I was bleeding out when those had occurred and the pain was unbearable. Sadly, I walked around with an open wound from such for a very long time.
That was the case until I finally asked the Lord for help to deal with it. I began by releasing the incident to Him, sharing my feelings about it and then, asking the Lord to help me forgive the one who I was hurt by. The pain slowly felt less intense. Days and weeks passed. Then, when I interacted with the one I was hurt by, the Lord helped me see them as He sees them and suddenly, the pain lessened. To my great surprise, the pain had been healed.
When reading the book of Genesis, we learn about Joseph. Chapter 37 describes how his brothers were jealous of him and hated him. In fact, they threw Joseph into a pit with the intent to kill him but they had a change of heart and sold him instead. Wow, what an awful feeling to be rejected by your own flesh and blood! How does one ever heal from such a wound?
We know Joseph’s story well as this emotional wound did not cripple the calling on his life. He remained faithful to his purpose as he went to Potiphar’s house, the prison and ultimately, Pharaoh’s palace. How amazing!
But the opportunity for the pain to linger was present when his brothers went to Egypt for food during famine and he just so happened to be the one in charge of the food supply. Surely, a shattered heart would do the talking. Here’s what Joseph said in chapter 45 verse 5: “… do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”
WOW … what healing and comfort the Lord had given to Joseph that he responded with such love.
Perhaps you walked into this new year with some emotional wounds and your heart feels shattered into pieces. I’m really sorry Friend. But rest assured that the pain does not have to remain intense forever. The Lord “… heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [healing their pain and comforting their sorrow].” (Psalm 147:3 AMP)
~Joyce
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