But for the road of grace…
Sometimes the written word is best when it is heard. Sometimes the written word is best when it is read.
Today, it is both.
I invite you to watch this spoken word “But for the road of grace” and then read the short blog below.
To be human is to know pain. But to be human is to also know healing.
Have you not seen your bruises fade, your cuts healed, your broken bones reset, and bug bites disappear? Isn’t the physical body created to produce certain pain receptors and begin the healing process all on its own? Even in emotional pain, we have seen breakthroughs. You have been able to find joy again after loss, you have again appreciated the small miracles after a season of darkness. You have seen miracles in others, too. We know pain, but we have also experienced healing.
The ruthless part about hurt through is the fact that it is often more memorable than the healing. We can identify the exact moment we fell and broke our wrist. We can narrate in detail the dog bite. We replay the ugly scenes of physical abuse in our minds. There have been years between past pain and our now, but that past can shake us when it resurfaces years after resolution. Relationships have been mended and beautiful memories are made in our now, but there are moments where our minds recall the past words, the brokenness. And while healing has occurred, we cannot resurface that memory as easily as the memory of the pain.
Why? Because pain can happen in an instant, but healing usually takes time. Days, weeks, months, years of healing. It is often a slow and grueling journey. And even if we have walked the journey and come out the other side, we are still too often reminded of the painful memory.
Why is this?
Because, to remember is to be human.
There are multiple sociological and psychological reasons why our brain remembers prominent moments of pain. Many studies on the brain and pain are fascinating and provide scientific evidence that we are neither alone in our pain memories nor are we wired weirdly. And while the physiological side is important, it is also necessary to recognize the spiritual component of both our pain and our healing. There is a God-factor to study and implement.
Let us approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 NIV)
There is a throne of grace...the place where we can show up in our brokenness and find a loving Father who welcomes us as we are. The Victor over death itself, offers us a treasury of comfort, hope, mercy, and forgiveness that sustains and pulls us forward. When we hurt, He is present in our time of need.
There are days, this side of Heaven, where we feel healed and then there are days where we are brutally reminded that we were hurt. As we continue to approach His throne, we will recognize that our healing is not based on whether we feel healed or not. We are healed because of Christ’s sacrifice. Our feelings can lead us astray and our memories can misguide us, but Jesus’ death and resurrection is an unshakable foundation. In our time of need, He is unstoppable and reminds us that even in our darkest moments, we share in His light, His glory.
This week, may we not allow our wounds to identify us, but may we reconfirm our identity in Him, alone.
Until next time my friend.
Hurt is found in every facet and corner of life. It can be hard to not embrace the pain that plagues us. For this reason, I have put together a five day devotional titled, “When we hurt.” It covers topics that affect us all and encourages us to embrace Biblical truth about healing and restoration in the midst of our pain. This devotional is available for free for all current and future blog subscribers.
You will be given access to an online link and a downloadable PDF version through email. I encourage you to subscribe and walk this journey with me as we spend 5-10 minutes a day for the next five days choosing to give God more of our time and pain less of our time.
