HEALING AN INJURED HEART

Read: Matthew 18:21-35
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32 ESV
Earlier this week, I injured my Achilles tendon (the small tendon on the back of the ankle) while on an early morning run. In one fell swoop, my intense weekly running schedule was brought to a grinding halt.
After a couple of days of no running, and feeling pain free this morning, I tried a light morning jog this morning. Just like that, the pain in the tendon returned, along with some mounting frustration. The frustration comes from the knowledge that I have an injury that will take time and patience to heal, and it is one I cannot just “push through” without the risk of severe long term damage.
The injury right now is relatively minor, but to try to ignore the pain and fight through like nothing has happened would put my long-term health in much greater jeopardy. What it will take, instead, is time to rest and exercises to strengthen the tendon before I return to where I was prior to the injury.
An injured heart is much the same way – healing takes time.
When it comes to the heart, the wound can take so many forms – harsh words from a spouse or a parent, betrayal by a friend or family member, the tragic loss of a loved one, bullying or harassment by a classmate or coworker - the heart is a fragile place and can be pierced and broken in so many ways.
And when the heart is wounded, it’s not something we can just ignore and “push through”.
Instead, it’s crucial to acknowledge the hurt and do what is necessary to begin helping the wound heal.
The first, and most important step, to healing an injured heart, is forgiveness. Like me resting a running injury, it’s probably also the most difficult to take. Because forgiveness is not ignoring the one who injured you, burying the pain, and holding a grudge.
Forgiveness is consciously letting go of the hurt, looking past the fear and anger, and making the choice to pursue love and healing instead.
But forgiveness is not something we do once. Like a nagging injury requiring long-term recovery, we have to embrace forgiveness anew every single day. When our hearts have been that deeply shattered, the pain does not just go away.
It’s something we often have to deal with for weeks, months, or even years. To truly heal, we need to make the choice to forgive on a daily basis. And if we don’t a small injury can turn quickly into a lifetime of bitterness and despair. The damage can be long-lasting.
And it is not just others we need to forgive. To heal fully often means we have to first forgive ourselves – let go of all our failures, all the times we have stumbled, and embraced the healing found in the cross of Jesus Christ.
So, whatever injuries your heart is facing today, don’t run from it or run through it. Confront it, deal with it, forgive, and help the healing process begin.

Prayer: Help me not to bury or run from the hurt in my heart, but to confront it with love and forgiveness, instead. Whatever the hurt, help the healing process begin with me.

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