I’ve been thinking a lot lately about being cut open. Maybe because I recently had surgery. Maybe because I’m just morbid like that.
If you’ve read any of my posts about health, you know I am totally sold on holistic healing. Don’t even get me started on Western medicine – how corporate it is, how people just want a pill for everything, how doctors will just prescribe that pill for everything…
But as big of a holistic proponent as I am, I do realize sometimes we need Western medicine. Like when you have to be cut open…
I had a hernia that could not heal on its own. In order for it to heal – for me to be healed – I had to be cut open and stitched up. Which got me thinking… Isn’t that what the Lord does in our lives? Cuts us open so we can be healed?
“If you allow it, [suffering] can be the means by which God brings you His greatest blessings.” – Charles Swindoll
God doesn’t create pain or trials, but he does allow us to experience them – to grow our character, to mold our hearts, to help us become more like Him. If we look to Him throughout our time of “being cut open,” He will heal us, He will restore us, and He will make us new.
Just as precious metals are put through fire to cleanse them of impurities and to refine them, so the Lord allows us to be put through fire to cleanse and refine our souls.
“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perished even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” – 1 Peter 1:6-7
The Lord uses our time of weakness to provide us with a new strength in Him. He is faithful. He will never leave or forsake us. In fact, the Bible says time and time again that Christ bears our burdens for us.He’s our comforter in times of pain. He’s our protector in times of fear. He’s ever present when we feel all alone.
“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:4-5
What is it you are going through in your life today that feels like you are being cut open? Have you experienced a loss? Are you struggling in a relationship? Job? Are you just tired of it all and feel you’ve come to the end of yourself?
My prayer for myself and for all of you is that we will “greatly rejoice” in our trials knowing the God of the universe cares more about our souls than even we do. Yes, He loves us that much.
Jesus allowed Himself to be literally cut open for us. I’m okay being figuratively cut open for Him.
