Tuesday, June 16, 2015

June 16, 2015 - along the Way ...

I have been thinking a lot about a quote I heard recently at a Chaplain conference.    I will paraphrase the quote this way, "In our deepest wound is our greatest genius".  

At first it seems counterintuitive.   How could a wound become our genius?  No one likes being wounded.  It is not pleasant, and it hurts.

Yet in reality as you talk with people the truth of this statement becomes readily apparent.   Talk to a man whose son has died tragically at a young age.   This deep wound leads to a greater understanding of loss, and enables him to help others understand and navigate through their own losses and the losses of those around them.   No one wants the wound, and God does not cause the wound, but God uses it to reveal His strength and make us more like Jesus.

Consider Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 12:7b-10.   Following a recitation of things for which he might possibly be able to boast, he offers these words,

"Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited,
I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness."
Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, 
so that Christ's power may rest on me.
That is why for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, 
in persecutions, in difficulties.
For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Paul acknowledges that our weaknesses become strengths through the power of God.   

So what about us?  Do we most often boast of our strengths or our weaknesses?   

Our wounds make us human.   When we share them with others, it opens us up to them and it can make them more willing to open up to us.   In this dialogue, this sharing of pain, God reveals Himself as the One who brings hope and healing to everyone in need.  

So let's not be afraid to share our weaknesses, knowing that is God's power that will rest on us when we have no strength left.   I invite you to share your thoughts and your stories, as we journey together along the Way ...