Thought
We turn our thoughts to Simon Peter, the patron saint of foot-shaped mouths! Even if all the rest of the disciples soil their little nappies – Simon Peter won’t! Even if he must be hung, drawn, quartered and barbecued – Simon Peter swears he will never disown Jesus. Cue the second rooster crow of the night – and Simon is weeping.
Being fully human Jesus must’ve felt deeply hurt by his friend’s betrayal. The soldiers ripped through his flesh with thorns and nails. Simon ripped through his heart with spikes of disloyalty. Jesus knows what it’s like to be let down by those he loves. He feels your pain. The question is – what do we do with that pain? Do we turn in on ourselves, building up a wall and promising not to let anybody else hurt us again? Do we turn to the one who hurt us? Badmouth them, cut them out of our circle. Or do we turn to the wounded one?
At his most wounded, Jesus declared, ‘Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.’ The best place for our wounded spirit is in God’s hands. We must trust that God will take our brokenness and raise us up back to life. That’s not to say, we push our feelings down and paint on a smile. No, it is good to acknowledge the pain. It is healthy to confront the one who hurt us. But only after we’ve committed our brokenness to God. Otherwise, we might find ourselves speaking from a place of hurt. That’s the way of sharp words, flying fists and revenge. As the old saying goes, ‘hurt people hurt people.’ If we bypass the brokenness of Christ, we’re likely to worship at the altar of self-pity, self-loathing, sarcasm, aggression, violence, retaliation, or destructive behavior. Come to the one wounded for you. Let him carry your heaviness. He will exchange his rest for your burden, healing for hurt.
Let’s pray…
Lord,
I’m hurting.
I want to choose forgiveness and yet I also want to choose hatred, self-pity, destruction.
Help me to be honest with my feelings.
Help me also to not act harmfully because of my emotions.
I focus now on your brokenness at the cross.
I acknowledge my sin placed you on the tree.
I thank you for your forgiveness and healing found at your wounded body.
I look at you in your suffering and know that I am not alone in mine.
Help turn around this situation for goodness.
Help me to heal and learn to forgive.
I ask you’d raise me from woundedness to life.
Breathe your resurrection power.
Restore what is broken in my relationship with the one who hurt me.
Your will be done.
Amen.