Woundedness – Path to True Spirituality

“For God wounds, but he binds up;

he strikes, but his hands heal.”

~Job 5:18 (NRSV)

Our very wounds awaken, and are the cause of, our spiritual capacity. If not for our wounding, our critical and embarrassing weakness, and the exposure of same, we would not know God. And God wants us to further expose and even expand upon our wounds—to turn them from being our embarrassment to being the very cause for celebration.

Where a wound lies unacknowledged that wound is a liability to our entire person.

But where a wound is both known and lauded for its role in bringing us to God, that wound is the great testimony of our path. It is testimony of our fervency to, at last, adore the truth. It is testimony of our courage. Some never get there. We have.

Accepting our woundedness is like saying to the world, “Here I am—take me as I am presented this day—here am I! Still, God’s not finished with me yet. That’s okay by me.”

It is fascinating in life that when we are wounded we first know life; the wound signifies a great day as we look back. What may once have been seen as shameful now has the sense of glory about it—all because of what God did and continues to do.

Taking Delight In Our Wound

The wound reminds us of the battle—of our courage to withstand fear. Our wound reveals us as conquerable; yet, only in defeat do we face horrible truths in courage. It takes a loser to know how to be a true winner.

We don’t walk away from such bad news’ stories. They are not the end for us.

Once we were fearful and despondent; ashamed to go on. But, we look at our wounding differently now, sensing it as the opportunity that sets us apart.

The world thinks it is a perverse logic that sets our wound apart as victorious for us. But we know now that God turns the world’s logic upside down. We shake our heads in wonder and laugh within ourselves. How could God be so good as to convert our causes for guilt and shame into the material potent for salvation?

Making the Very Most of Our Wound

Having access into our vital spirituality through the very hole of our woundedness, we make the most of it. There are many who are still blind because they are either not aware of their wound or haven’t reconciled it.

We, on the other hand, sense the opportunity to live the most of our lives.

Spirituality is nothing without the truth. Being that the opportunity lies open, as we apply the truth, it changes us. Our hole through which our spirituality entered—our wound—receives revelations from God for the moment and every moment. We ask for revelation and receive. It is checked and validated by the truth.

We have the courage now to face all of life. If our wounding couldn’t crush us, nothing can. God is with us and nothing so devastating can be against.

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Everyone has a wound. But it is not a fatal weakness. On the contrary, it is actually the path to God. Our woundedness was how God got through to us regarding our need of him. Our wound brought us to life!

Wounding is the passage to spirituality. What was once our shame—our wound—is now the very reason we are victors. Our strength lies in happily exposing and expanding upon our wound. It is where God proves continually faithful.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.