As I sit here at my desk and process my thoughts, I keep coming back to this title, “In Pain, There Is Healing.”
As anxious as my chest feels right now, as scattered as my brain feels, I have come to know and understand that so much of life is a paradox. Two things can be true at once even when it feels like they are opposed against each other.
Pain is real, just like healing is real.
I recently read this quote by We The Urban: “You will forever be in a state of healing. You don’t have to be fully healed to give or receive love again.”
If this statement is true, the pain I have experienced in life, the pain I am experiencing right now, is leading towards my healing; with the proper perspective of course. Healing doesn’t always feel like healing, but if I understand anything about feelings, my feelings don’t always dictate what is true or not true.
Think about this. When you have an open wound, immediately your body begins to get to work. The white blood cells find their way to the wound and begin to start the healing process. After a few days, this wound becomes a scab, and eventually, that scab heals and becomes a scar. And oh boy, do we all have some scars! Can I get an amen?
Scars, just like wounds, remind us that we’ve been through some pain. Our scars tell a story.
Around the age of 6 or 7, my brother Martin and I had a great idea to spray our front yard with the water hose during the wintertime. We thought we could turn the yard into an outdoor ice skating rink. Great idea, right!?
One day we got into a fight. Who knows why. He’s two years older than me, so of course, if he gets a hold of me, it’s a wrap. I would often find myself trying to escape and run. So this time, that is what I did. I ran throughout our tiny house with nowhere to go. Something in me was saying, if you can make it outside, he won’t catch you. Remember I mentioned the outdoor skating rink?
I think you know where this story is headed. Sure enough, I ran out the front door, right onto the ice, slipped, and bussed my head wide open. We run back inside to the bathroom mirror to see how much damage has been done. Of course, he tries to downplay it and say, it’s not that bad; meanwhile, I have a hole above my right eyebrow.
Why do I tell this story? Well, because I have a scar, and my scar has a story. You have scars, and your scars tell stories.
Today, when you look at your scars, are your scars reminding you of pain or of healing?
The scar above my right eyebrow is fully healed, but it wasn’t always like that. It took time to heal. Maybe today, you are finding healing in pain. Perhaps today, you are being reminded that healing is a process. And as We The Urban reminded us, we will always be in a state of healing.
Here are a few closing thoughts and reminders:
As we are going through our pain, let us grow through our pain.
As we navigate our pain, let us take time to name the pain.
As we name the pain, let us take time to find healthy outlets to begin our healing.
As we begin our healing, let’s share openly when we are ready.
As we communicate openly our pain and our scars, let us invite others in.
As we invite others to see our scars, hear our stories, may we encourage them to do the same.
If you’ve been hurt in community, you will be healed in community.
In your healing, your pain can be used for good.
Rest in the good, know, trust and believe what you’ve been through in life serves a purpose.
Lastly, family, your pain has a purpose. It may not make a lot of sense right now. Maybe your pain was caused by a silly decision like mine when I ran into the front yard during the wintertime. However, your pain is your pain. Your scars are your scars, and each of them serves a purpose.
I hope you come to know and find out why you had to go through what you went through. I hope what you are going through now will encourage you not to give up but to take it one day at a time and remind yourself that today, there is new mercy and grace to get you back up.
Josh Samarco 