Community Update from Dr. Bob: 5/22/2024
As we move into the summer, I would like us all to consider the words of past Sunday’s sermon: “The comfort we receive from God, we can give to others.” If you missed the sermon, you can listen HERE.
But the point of our passage, 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, is that God’s healing work in our own life is meant to overflow into healing in the lives of others. We are all wounded healers in some way. Think of the hardest parts of your life: those are actually the areas where God can use you most!
As followers of Jesus we are not immune from the hard stuff of life. But as we experience God’s comfort and healing work in our lives, that not only benefits ourselves, but puts us in a position to authentically help others experience more of God’s healing and comfort as well.
But that all requires something from us: It requires that we be honest. We need to be honest about the challenges that we are facing, the real issues we are wrestling with, and how we’re experiencing God in the midst of that. That doesn’t just apply to issues in the past, but issues in the present as well. It’s okay that we don’t yet fully grasp what is going on and know how to navigate through it; we can still rely on God and doing so positions us to be in a place we can share that grace with others.
When we deny our current struggles, minimize them, or pretend we have overcome them all, that’s disingenuous—and that undercuts authentic relationships. Because we all deal with that stuff and there is no point pretending it’s all okay when it isn’t. When we say, “I’m not angry, I’m just frustrated,” or something similar, we’re not fooling anyone except—maybe—ourselves.
So consider—what can you be honest about? What are some of the things you are facing? Marital problems, divorce, addiction, anxiety, parenting issues, health challenges, loss, grief, conflict. What would it be like to surface some of those issues, even if they’re still in process and not fully healed or resolved?
What if you invited some neighbors over on Memorial Day for a cookout and when they ask you how you are, you were honest? What if you said, “Things are a little tough at work right now. I have some real challenges I’m facing.” When you say something like that, it’s refreshing. People respond to that kind of honesty and authenticity. So surface some of those kinds of issues. You might be surprised how freeing it feels to actually admit we’re facing a situation where we don’t know what to do and don’t know how to move forward.
So be honest with yourself, with God and with others. And in doing so, you can also support others in their difficulties. Whatever God is taking you through, you can come alongside and be that blessing to others. Consider practical ways of being encouragers, listeners, and practical support for others. Because as wounded healers, God’s healing work in our own life is meant to overflow into healing in the lives of others.
