Professor Henri Nouwen understood and lived out the healing power of weakness. He writes the following:
Nobody escapes being wounded. We all are wounded people. The main question is not “How can we hide our wounds?” so we don’t have to be embarrassed, but “How can we put our woundedness in the service of others?” When our wounds cease to be a source of shame, and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers.
Jesus is God’s wounded healer, it is by his wounds we are healed in fact it is by Jesus scars that he is recognised. Jesus’ suffering and death brought joy and life. His humiliation and pain brought glory and wholeness; his rejection brought together a community of love, acceptance and humility.
Jesus’ love and compassion was breathtaking, and He loves me and He loves you. Easter is shortly upon us again and we will be travelling in our minds and our hearts I hope, to the Cross. This is a unique time in the church year as we are reminded of all Jesus has done and the reason he came in the first place. I love the ancient words from Isaiah as he predicts the coming of the Messiah in chapter 53:
Who believes what we’ve heard and seen?
Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?
The servant grew up before God – a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried –
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him – our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.
We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,
on him, on him.
(The Message Translation)
God’s word speaks for itself. I hope and pray that if you are not a Christian that you will be open to God this Easter season. I hope that you will allow God to transform your life. Those of us who are already followers of Jesus can testify to God’s love and healing power but do we allow our wounds to bring healing to others. May God bless and heal us. May the wounded healer be our saviour our teacher and our life. Remember that most deep scars are not on the surface.
With love
Diane