Have you ever had a wound that had to remain open to heal? Almost four years ago I had skin cancer on my left calf. It was a strange place to get skin cancer in the first place, but it was a very difficult place to have it heal. They could not stitch up the wound because with each step I took, I would have busted the stitches loose so they had to leave the wound open.
I had an open would in the shape of a circle about 3-4 inches across. The doctor assured me it would be a much smaller circle when the wound healed properly. The wound had to heal from the inside out in order to heal properly. I had to dress it twice a day, unwrapping it and filling the wound with Polysporin to assist in the inner healing first. It only took one time and nearly passing out to determine I couldn’t take care of my own healing, no matter how hard I tried. I couldn’t reach it to care for it properly, nor could I look at my leg with a gaping hole in it. My sweet husband took on the role of nurse for me for the 12 weeks I had to change the dressing.
I was reminded of many spiritual principles through this experience. Wounds take time to heal. The deeper the wound, the longer amount of time is necessary for healing. The healing also needs to start on the inside for the healing to be proper and complete. And finally, you can’t heal yourself. You need someone else to help you through it.
Jesus is called the Great Healer. 1 Peter 2:24 reminds us the Lord experienced wounding too; however, He experienced it for us and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:4 says “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted.”
God knows pain and He knows sorrow. He knows abandonment and He knows physical pain. Whatever we experience in life, He understands. We are not in it alone. He is with us. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us [Deuteronomy 31:6, 8; and Joshua 1:5]. He also tells us to give Him our cares and sorrows [Psalm 55:22, and 1 Peter 5:7].
A sweet friend of mine is going through a difficult time of healing. He keeps going back to the doctor and hearing there is more time needed for his healing and it is difficult for him. He is only 13 and he should be in school complaining about homework. Instead, he is stuck at home in pain and trying to make sense of all he’s going through. We may never make complete sense of all we experience in this life. The Lord tells us His ways aren’t our ways [Isaiah 55:8]. However, we can be sure the ways of the Lord are good and He will work it all together for our good [Psalm 24:8, Romans 8:28]. He loves us and He is a good Daddy. Will you trust Him with your struggles today?