I’ve been thinking about the secrets that I have. The things that no one knows. The hurt, the
pain, the sin and shame... Although no one knows these secrets they are a powerful force in my life that propels me.
I can guarantee that I’m not alone in this. Those wounded parts of me –whether those wounds were self inflicted by bad decisions or they are results of someone else who hurt me, they guide many of my actions. Some good and bad.
Shame is a powerful emotion. The power it has could replace natural gas in fueling the world.
How many movies have you seen where the main character is fighting hard for a cause, only for the writer to reveal that they’re trying to make up for something in their past and yet, it is so hard for us to admit or recognize this in ourselves.
This makes me think of the woman at the well. I wondered what propelled her toward a well at the hottest time of the day instead of the cool of the morning.
We know that Jesus told her about her past and current situation with men, but we don’t know what her story is. What was fueling her actions? Was she just promiscuous? Was she a victim? Most likely, she was a victim.
All I know for sure is that no matter if the wound was self-inflicted or inflicted by others or some combination of the two, she had a wound. Like we all do. Her shame caused her to isolate, to not want to be seen. But Jesus saw her. He felt her pain and he did not turn away from her. He said (I’m paraphrasing) I know what you’ve been through, what you’ve done and there is hope for healing. Living water that can propel her to eternal life and she says Give me this water so that I may not thirst.
You want to stop trying to quench your thirst with things that will never satisfy? You want this eternal life? It starts with being seen. It starts with the truth – the naked truth of your original wound and your original beauty. It is said, water finds its lowest point – well, living water finds your lowest point.
The Living water offered by Jesus Christ finds your lowest point. It flows to your original wound. The thing that you spend so much energy trying to heal through insufficient ways. Looking for love in all the wrong places.
Being known (seen) and loved and forgiven in our true form by our true God can quench our spiritual thirst in a way that no amount of success or admiration or romantic love or social justice work ever can.
Whatever your lowest point is, whatever the deepest wound, the worst sin, the damaged thing in you is, the living water of Christ’s compassion will find it, can find it, has found it.
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