Life Hurts. . .Scraped Knees

REMEMBER when you were a child and you scraped your knee. Maybe you fell off your bicycle hitting the pavement or fell off the swing at the playground having the mulch that is supposed to dampen the fall actually cut your skin more. If you were lucky enough to have a caring mom close by you would run to her or she would run to you. The pain would continue. The blood would drip. The tears would flow. Although she was there she could not take away the reality of what just happened. The fear was still real. The hurt still hurt. The throbbing still pulsated but she would still hold you close, maybe lightly blow on the cut, and tell you “your gonna be ok”. Her closeness, her words, the touch of her hands holding you and maybe a kiss on the forehead MADE A DIFFERENCE. The pain lessened just a little. The fear faded. The hurt that just a few seconds ago seemed unbearable became bearable. The throb less obvious. How? What was it having your mom close, holding you, telling you it would be ok when what seemed like trauma hit that somehow we felt ok or at least better? Did she have some magical power? I know I often joked with my kids when they got hurt, offered a “healing kiss”, but from me they often refused. Maybe it was my tone or me just being a dad. . not as “gentle” as mom :)

So, what am I trying to say in the above? Well, as adults we still get hurt. We experience trauma and pain. It may not be from falling off a bike or a playground swing (although it could :) but in a way the pains we feel, the traumas we experience, the hurts taken, can be, and most often are, much more painful. It is natural to not want the pains to come but they will. We are told in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation.” So, we are told we will have trials. We are not promised in any way to move through life unscathed. BUT, through the pain, the fear, the hurt, the throb we are NOT ALONE. Our mother may not be there but our Heavenly Father is. His love and His presence is enough. It may not feel like it. The pain still hurts but just as mom made it lessen so our Heavenly Father can take those much bigger pains in our life and He will “wipe away every tear from our eyes. . . “ and one day, OUR HOPE, our FINAL HOME “. . . death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

Embrace the One who wants to embrace you. Too often we can be the child who get’s hurt and pushes away mom or others who may want to help. Is that anger in us that triggers that response? Is it self-protection thinking that if we accept the “love” we could get hurt more?? Maybe we can discuss that in another blog entry. . . for now, LET’S EMBRACE THE ONE WHO WANTS TO EMBRACE US AND FIND THE PEACE IN OUR PAIN. Sound good?

#godlovesyou #godislove #intohiseyes