Sacred Wounds

In our brokenness, we are most aware of our vulnerability and need for comfort. And that realization can be a gateway to deeper intimacy with the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

Photo by saeed karimi on Unsplash

I don’t know anybody who isn’t nursing any emotional wounds. It’s common to the human experience. And that pain changes us.

I once asked a man who lost his mother when he was young what he could remember about her. Specifically, I wanted to know if she was nurturing. 

“I’m not sure what that means,” he said.

That’s heartbreaking, isn’t it?

I don’t know the man well, but he seems to have a tough exterior and finds it hard to relate to people, which is certainly understandable. He usually has a smile on his face, but in my mid-fifties, I’ve learned to not trust smiles. They are often a mask.

That said, pain can be an agent for spiritual intimacy.

Annie Downs wrote a book titled Looking for Lovely: Collecting the Moments That Matter. In her “Tragedy” chapter, she writes about a male friend whose heart was broken over a failed relationship.

“This is the most profound pain of my life,” he told her. “But it also feels sacred.”

Annie’s instinct was to pray for God to heal his heart so the pain would end. 

“No,” he told her, “I need this. I need to know God here. It feels important. Sacred.”

Remember how you felt when your mother met you at the front door, antiseptic and Band-Aids in hand after you fell off your skateboard or swing set? Between sobs, you explained what happened. She listened, speaking in a soothing tone, and fixed you up, maybe even applying a kiss to the bandage once she applied it. 

She loved you before you skinned your knee, and she loved you afterward too. But there’s something about the nurturing touch of the woman who gave you birth. She wants to join you in your pain, and her love and touch provide healing properties -- maybe more so than the antiseptic or antibiotic cream she applied to the wound.

It’s an oversimplification, but maybe this is what Annie’s friend was talking about. He sensed God’s nearness when his heart was shattered. And while the man would have never wished for the circumstances, he also wasn’t quick to wish them away.

There’s a lesson for all of us in that.

In our brokenness, we are most aware of our vulnerability and need for comfort. And that realization can be a gateway to deeper intimacy with the Maker of Heaven and Earth who is never too busy to sit with us.