Wounded Healers Listen

May 31, 2019

Wounded Healers Listen

But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.

2 Corinthians 4:7

Because our wounds have been healed by Jesus, we have oneness with God. God’s Spirit has come to make His home within our fragile, mortal lives. Therefore, even though we face many difficulties in life, we are not destroyed. As we die to our own self-interest, the life of Jesus becomes visible in our mortal flesh. (2 Corinthians 4: 8-12) It is this truth that empowers us to listen with our wounds.

Whenever we are with a person who is suffering, there is a HUGE temptation to share our own story, our own experience of pain and suffering. However, a wounded healer is one who can listen to a fellow sojourner without succumbing to the temptation to talk about their own pain and suffering. Our wounded experience can empower us to listen with empathy, compassion and love. Having to remember and talk about our own experiences may well be an indicator that we have not yet experienced the fullness of God’s healing in our own lives.

The psalmist implores us to be still and know God. (Psalm 46:10) His inspiration came from God’s promise to King Jehoshaphat, “Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15). This too is God’s promise to us! The Apostle Paul affirmed this when he wrote, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13). This means that when we are with another person who is going through a time of trial, we can be still and trust that God is at work. We can trust that our own wounds will empower us to listen with our whole being.

My Takeaway: I believe learning to become an empathic listener will allow me to be a vessel of healing for the other person, while I receive God’s grace for my own continued healing. Maybe for you also.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2019 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.