It Hurts to Heal

Daily Reading:  2 Corinthians 6-7

You felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss... For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death (2 Corinthians 7:9-10)

Devotional Thought: Sometimes hurting is part of healing.  2 Corinthians 7 deals with that as Paul writes to some people he had hurt, but for their own good.

I remember when I had bicep tendon repair two years ago.  It was a week before family vacation in Rogers City, MI.  My friends’ lake house where we stayed had kayaks, and I thought I was going to go kayaking on Lake Huron!  My surgeon and therapist had other plans.  I would not be ready.  I would need to go through therapy.  I hated therapy.  It hurt, it was hard, and it hampered my schedule.  But I needed it.  It was part of my healing.

There are times when we do things that require healing.  Almost always the healing comes only with pain.  We say stupid things.  It hurts to swallow our pride and admit we were wrong.  We act in selfish ways.  It hurts to put aside our interests and put someone else ahead of us.  We make poor choices.  It hurts to go back and correct the mistakes.  But hurting is a part of healing.

The same is true in our spiritual lives, too.  When we are away from God we commit sins and heap up on ourselves judgment.  Christ paid the price for our sins, and his pain redeems us, but in order to find healing from them, we ourselves must experience the pain of conviction, contrition and confession.  If we don’t repent, then we do not find healing from the impact and penalty of our sins.  And, there are even times that we do stupid things as Christians.  When we are confronted, it hurts.  We need to turn that pain into healing by repentance and faith in Christ.

Prayer: O Lord God, I know that it sometimes hurts to heal.  In the midst of my pain, help me to turn more fully to you and allow you to embrace me and bear the pain with me.  Thank you for loving me so!  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 115:1-8

1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

2 Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?"

3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.

5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.

6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.

7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.

8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.