hurt

When I was a little kid -- I was riding
my bike and fell into a cactus. 
(Funny, unless it happened
to you.)

The cactus' thorns drove deep into
my knee --so much so that it prevented
me from walking.

My grandfather had to pull the thorns
out with pliers.

Puncture wounds have a tendency to
get infected. They are deep, and whatever
punctures the skin takes dirt and bacteria
and pushes it down beyond the reach of
band-aids and mother's kisses.

Some hurts can be healed fairly quickly.

But a lot of hurt runs deeper.

Some of us have been wounded -- punctured in our hearts.
There is an infection sometimes that persists for years.

Maybe it was the father (or mother) who walked out on your family.
The girlfriend (or boyfriend) that dumped you.
The loss of a friend.
A struggle with weight or an eating disorder.
Feelings of inadequacy.
A broken promise.
Rejection.

Some turn to drugs or alcohol.
Others never turn off the music or the t.v.
Still others think of ending life to avoid the hurt.
Some just try to put it out of their mind and forget.

The problem with wounds like these is this-
if you don't deal with them, they never really go away.
And like the thorn in my knee -- they can prevent us from walking.
From moving forward in life and in our relationship with God
and with other people.

In Jeremiah 8:21-22 God says:

I weep for the hurt of my people.
I am stunned and silent, mute with grief.

Is there no medicine...? Is there no physician ...?
Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people?

Later on -- God answers his own question --
by coming to earth and dealing with sin -- the root of all hurt --
once and for all.

Isaiah 53:5 says this:

By His stripes we are healed...

There is a God -- who has been wounded deeper than you.
Who weeps for your hurt.
Who cares, and wants to heal it.

Jesus is the only one who can deal with your hurt
and heal you from it, permanently.

So -- pray to Him.
Ask Him to heal you.
Come over and over again.
As many times as it takes.
By His wounds, our wounds will be healed.