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 as a Community Group leader.
