healing

As I was sprawled on the sidewalk this morning, I thought to myself, "I haven't had a wipeout like this one in ages!"  I got up, checked my injuries, and started walking.  I had to get back home at least. I'd only walked a block or so before I got mad; I really hate it when I'm so uncoordinated!  I looked at my scraped and swollen knees and thought, "There's no blood running down my legs...I'm going for it!"  And the rest of my run was great...faster than I have run yet this summer.  The point is not my lack of coordination or that I run faster when I'm mad.  Now, I have wounds that need to heal.  They need to be cleaned and bandaged and cared for, but they will heal.  And, of course, I started thinking about relationships.  

In this life, we are going to have wounds that need to heal.  It is impossible to be in relationships without some hurts.  Loving makes us vulnerable.  I am not someone who can keep people at arms-length.  I work for deep, meaningful, long-term relationships and wounds are part of that deal.  People are not perfect and we are going to unintentionally hurt each other, even when we try so hard not to.  

The human way to deal with hurts is walking away, ending relationships, or putting up walls and pretending everything is okay. Wounds that aren't cared for don't heal well and sometimes they even get infected.  That isn't God's way.  His way is forgiveness and reconciliation.  He showed us that by sending Jesus, offering forgiveness and relationship to us.  In the end, I will always fight for relationships.  I will forgive.  I will work for resolution and reconciliation.  I will continue to love.  I will heal.