Day 32 (Wednesday) – “Cleaning the wound”…

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32

There other day I cut myself while doing dishes.
I didn’t think anything about it at the time, it seeped some crimson, but other wise it was just a cut.  A couple of days later the wound that hadn’t seemed so bad at the time was now red around the edges and the actual incision was swollen…you guessed it, the wound was infected.  Not to gross you out, but it had to be drained and then some antibacterial ointment was applied to help the wound heal completely.

While I was tending to this little cut that had become something more, it got me thinking that this is just like hurt and grudges.  At the beginning when the wound is inflicted, it doesn’t seem like much.  Sure, you feel hurt or wounded by words that were said to you, or things someone has done to you, but you “toughen up” and fight back.  At least that’s how I work.  I hit back.  I respond, sometimes even lashing out.  -It’s just a little cut.-  But, maybe a few days later, or months later, you discover that this little cut has become a bigger issue that you originally thought.  It has festered and become swollen, so much so that it has infected your heart and how you think about THAT person or group.  Finally, you have a decision to make…will you allow this wound to continue to fester and eventually poison your whole body (spirit and soul too)?  Or will you drain the wound and put ointment on it so that you can heal and move on…and not just live, but thrive?

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we have to drain the wounds in our lives in order for us to become fully like Christ in every way, shape and form.  We can declare that we want to be holy, and that we want to be the very image of Christ in our world, but it is only lip service if we haven’t dealt with these infected wounds in our lives.  For some of us, these wounds run more deeply than we realize…and we need the Holy Spirit to help us sterilize and heal them.  It may take us time to heal, but we must make this a priority in order for us to grow into this grace and knowledge of Christ.

Declare these wounds to God today, and ask Him to help you clean them, so that you can fully heal!

Prayer:  Lord, I come to you today with this wound in my life.  I have tried to ignore it for far too long, and it has not gone away.  I have struggled with forgiving that person for what they did to me.  I ask that you to help me to confront this wound for what it is – poison to my soul.  Help me to forgive and also to seek forgiveness if I have hurt someone else with my words and actions.  Grant me your strength to not run from this any longer.  I want to be your reflection to others.  Lead me today in this I pray.  -Amen.