Our Wounds

Sometimes we have to “step over” our anger, our jealousy, or our feelings of rejection and move on. The temptation is to get stuck in our negative emotions, poking around in them as if we belong there. Then we become the “offended one,” “the forgotten one,” or the “discarded one.” Yes, we can get attached to these negative identities and even take morbid pleasure in them. It might be good to have a look at these dark feelings and explore where they come from, but there comes a moment to step over them, leave them behind and travel on.” —Henri J. M. Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

Most of us have been victimized at some point in our lives. And many of us have had hard times as a result of being victimized. The topic for us this reading is not about whether or not we become a victim at one point or another, but how we’ll respond: Will we remain a victim, or will we learn how to move forward with our life to a better place? Remaining a victim is the result of getting stuck in a ‘Woe is me!” mindset and wanting to draw others into recognizing and pitying you there. You’re seeking to be validated in your victimization. And you’re carrying baggage into the rest of your life’s circumstances and relationships. Some things are out of your control—you can’t go back and change what’s happened. But you can move forward, reorienting your own perspective and pressing through the hurt to hope. Each of our lives and stories are unique. Let us pray for one another, that seasons of hurt, betrayal and brokenness can become building blocks of redemption, renewal and restoration, and that hurts can become hope-filled life-lessons. —DH