Healing all the broken pieces

“He personally bore our sins in His (own) body on the tree (as on an altar and offered Himself on it), that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.” I Peter 2:24 (Amplified Bible)

Healing has been an intense theme in my life since I was in my early twenties. I sought God out for healing from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, severe adhesions, bladder and kidney problems, hemophilia, a brain aneurysm, broken relationships, infertility, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS)…the list goes on. This list might sound meager perhaps compared to yours. Or you may be wondering how in the world my list got so long. But truthfully I am no different than most women. We are each broken vessels, in one way or another, that need to be healed. God has healed many of my physical ailments, though not all. God has put His hand on my heart and my emotions and comforted me many times. What He has not healed me from, He has brought me through and shown me how to use it to help others. He has helped heal all the little cracks inside that used to let my joy escape…and now I am able to hold joy even during the times when my circumstances look seemingly impossible to be joyful about.

We were all born into a sinful world, not of our own doing, and as we walk the path with God or apart from Him, healing is what most people seek. We may call it other things, such as: striving for success, seeking financial freedom, longing for love relationships or ‘reaching for the stars’ but when it comes down to the core of each of these things, what our heart cries out for is fulfillment through spiritual, emotional, mental or physical healing; For if we feel the need to be better, greater, more fulfilled, then we must surmise that we are unfulfilled, incomplete – empty or broken – in one or more of area.

God’s Word tells us that Jesus died for our iniquities. He died for the places inside us that are broken. He died as a sacrifice for our sins and out broken parts. He died to heal the inner-most parts of who we are – the parts that are broken and hurting – that we might be restored and returned to His arms. Because of our hurts most of us attempt to fill ourselves up with things of this world. Many of these pursuits involve sinful tactics and selfish actions to achieve a desired status or recognition. Or they involve filling us with fruitless pursuits that may or may not garner us self-satisfaction, higher wagers, better titles, more accolades. If you’ve come to a place in your life where you realize that the pursuit of all these things is truly is fruitless (bearing no fruit, reaping nothing of substance, lacking in daily nourishment.), then perhaps it’s time to step back and reassess.

I don’t have the answers for your life but I know the One who does. I know that if I pursue God and His path for me rather than what the world expects of me, then I am fully nourished. I don’t feel lost, hungry, empty or afraid. I do feel excited, eager, encouraged, ready to wake up and see what God has next for me…and even when I do feel trepidation or nervousness over what He might expect me to do, I know I am not alone. Where He asks me to go, He will be with me.

If you seek God, you will Him and the path your heart truly desires. If you ask for forgiveness for wasting time, spinning your wheels and letting the world dictate who you should be, He will give it to you. And more importantly, you’ll begin to have healing and fulfillment like you’ve never had before. You are a vessel for God’s love. If you’re broken, allow Him to take you in His hands and heal you. A cup that has cracks in it won’t hold anything for very long, especially joy. God can repair those broken pieces and put you back together in a mighty and beautiful way. I pray you allow Him to.

For more inspiration, check out the book “PMS ~ Praising My Savior” A 28 day devotional for women.

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Knowledge is...what???

My brother posted a comment on his Facebook once that said, "Knowledge is NOT power!" He stated this in the face of finding out some disturbing news about someone that he truly didn’t want to know. But his statement was very true. Too often in this power hungry, vanity-filled, idol-seeking world, we think that the more we know the more power we have. After all, if you know things about people, places and situations then you can control them and have power over them, right? Isn't that what Kings used to do? King Solomon certainly did way back in his day. Ecclesiastes 2 finds sad, old rich King Solomon lamenting over all the time he toiled his days away for nothing. He had much money, much power, much knowledge. In fact, he had many people at his disposal who also had much knowledge. But what did it get him? Nothing. All his so-called power, money and knowledge gained him nothing but folly. (foolishness).

Proverbs 24:5 tells us: A wise man is strong and a man of knowledge increases strength. Notice it doesn’t say that a strong man is wise. It doesn’t say that strength increases knowledge but rather that a wise man is strong and knowledge increases strength. We must seek after wisdom first and the discernment to know what knowledge we should attain.

Upon reading my brother's recent comment, this is what my response was:
Amen...knowledge is maddening, deafening, defeating, fleeting, easily obtained, easily bought, easily sold and definitely is NOT power...Wisdom is power!

Like Solomon, I too have spent many a day just toiling foolishly. But also like Solomon, praise God I learned that Wisdom is far greater than money, power or knowledge. For you can have all the knowledge in the world but if you do not have Wisdom to know what to do with it, when to retain it and how to discern what bits of knowledge are useful or vital, verses what bits are dangerous, deadly or untrue, then you actually render yourself completely powerless! The Father wants us to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit and that only comes through Wisdom.

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