Wounded Spirit

I'm not sure who was speaking on the broadcast when I changed radio stations yesterday afternoon, but I caught part of this man's testimony as he talked about the health struggle he endured early in life and into his grade school years.

I quickly found myself relating to his story, as we dealt with kids who gave him static regarding his physical condition and how one copes with that. Cyber-bullying is a serious problem, perhaps even worse than in real-life, although, real-life bullying left a lot to be desired as well.

I had to laugh, as he talked about "having to go to school".

Just because you ignore "them", doesn't mean you don't hear what they say and that psychologically the words don't still make landfall somewhere in the recesses of your inner-man.

You can't go somewhere else to get away... it's not like there's another lunchroom.

Defending yourself doesn't work; somehow your replies are simply more ammo for them to use as return fire against you.

Teachers expect you in class, parents tell you that you have to go and the system only allows you to miss so many days. It's like lambs being thrown to the wolves.

Thus, whether face to face or through Facebook & friends, our spirits not only wound quite easily at times, but very early in our lives as well. Whether for situations beyond our control like a physical condition or kids being mere kids, such wounds do not quickly heal.

And isn't interesting...any medical condition, we go to a doctor. Parenting and marriage, a counselor. Finances? Dave Ramsey. For all our broken and troubled arenas of life, we seek and find a professional or a guru to bring healing and correction to the problem. Yet with a wounded spirit and damaged soul, we skip, bypass or overlook altogether, the Creator in whose image we were created.

For the child or the adult, the sinner or the saint, the pastor or the parishioner, spiritual wounds require spiritual healing. Why isn't our first turn to God? Even when the decision is obvious, we wait and prolong seeking His face and casting our cares.

Pray this #youthPastorWednesday, that God would be the first that is to be trusted with our wounded spirits and damaged souls. Pray for those still struggling with the scars of their past. May God do a work in each of us; for daily, we in the most unexpected moments, we realize we are still very broken and scared people. Pray the mercies of God that are new every morning fill our desperate need for forgiveness and the opportunity to be and live better today than we did yesterday, this morning better than last night.

For God doesn't waste our experience
But uses it all for His glory
As a testament to His grace
And the redemptive work of Christ
Through the power of the Cross
And the help of the Holy Spirit.

- PNC