15/05/2019
Wounded healer
Wounded healer
"Our western-oriented culture has become enamored with the images of power, control and self-sufficiency. These ideas have also found their way into the church sanctuary. Much Christian thinking and action revolve around these same ideas.
But these ideas are a far cry from the heart of the gospel. Self-sufficiency is to be replaced with dependence on God, the ongoing work of his spirit, and the joy of communal interdependence. The need for control is to be converted into the ability to be open and flexible, and to live in trust and vulnerability. And power for ourselves is to be replaced with a willingness to serve and empower others.
So it is simply not true that we can best bless and serve others when we are in the place of strength. The place of weakness and vulnerability is more frequently the place from which we have more to give to others.Henri Nouwen is, therefore, right that 'our wounds . . . (can) become sources of hope to others.'
He is not suggesting that our festering inner hurts can be a source of help and hope to others. If we have those, then we need help and healing ourselves. We can hardly serve others well out of anger, fear, unforgiveness, or bitterness.
But we can offer to others our own struggles and difficulties. Thereby, we cement the commonality of our humanity and the common journeys we all must make towards maturity, growth, and wholeness.
Sometimes, in sharing our own struggles, we can give the other person a window into what may be happening to them. This is particullarly helpful when they may have unrealistic ideas about themselves or others, or when they burden themselves with totally unrealistic expectations.
But the sharing of our woundedness should never be to draw attention to ourselves or to burden the other person. Instead, this sharing should once again point us all to the God of hope and healing. It should invite us to embrace the mystery of suffering, while at the same time drawing us into a deeper trust in the God of all grace and mercy.
Thus in humility we can give ourselves to tohers, not simply through sharing our giftedness, blessings, and resources, but also our own needs, struggles, and fears.
Reflection:
In what way do I make myself available to others in vulnerability?"
Ringma, C. (2005) Whispers from the edge of eternity: reflections on life and faith in a precarious world. Vancouver, Canada. Regent College Publishing
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