Wound Check
By Carolyn
Hulliberger
“Praise be
to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and
the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we
can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from
God.”
2
Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)
Sandy was an incredible young lady
with a memory like a steel trap. She loved hugs, never met a stranger, and was
always smiling.
Sandy had another remarkable
trait: she could literally feel no pain.
Born with a cognitive disability, the
“wiring” to the pain center in her brain was affected. As a result, her sunny
disposition was never impacted by headache nor heartache.
Sounds great, right? But if Sandy was
hurt, she couldn’t tell anyone. As a young child, an unknown burn became
severely infected and could have killed her. After the incident, her parents
instituted regular “Wound Checks” to identify any unknown injuries.
We don’t like it, but pain is a
necessary component to our lives. Pain tells us to remove the hand from the hot
stove, to stop the knife when the finger gets in the way, to draw fresh
boundaries in a hurtful relationship.
Pain also moves us to look for
comfort from the hurt. When the ache takes over, it is natural to
look to someone who can help us. Someone who has been there. A person who has
faced the diagnosis, survived the divorce, or mourned a similar loss. Those who
have gone before can provide the much-needed “Wound Checks,” because
they know the pitfalls of the journey.
God sent us the Ultimate Comforter in
Jesus. He came to earth as a human, willing to experience all of the emotions
that come with that. He knew the betrayal of a friend (Judas), and
wept with those who grieved for a loss (Lazarus). And let’s not forget the
physical pain of the torture He endured at the Crucifixion.
Isaiah 61 says the Messiah has been
sent to “bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and
release from darkness for the prisoners, …to comfort all who mourn,…to bestow
on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” His very mission
includes performing Wound Checks with us.
Like Sandy, there are times when we
need to submit to the Wound Check and listen to Christ and those He uses. Like
Sandy’s parents, sometimes we need to love someone enough to do the Wound Check
for them.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Who can you help with
his/her Wound Check?
2. How is Jesus, the
Ultimate Comforter, helping you with your wounds?
FURTHER READING:
Along with caring for her family, Carolyn works as an insurance representative and serves in Oakwood Church's Student Ministries with an awesome group of Junior High girls.
