Take That Band-Aid Off
By Lisa U Maki
Emotional wounds are more painful than physical wounds. You don't see them and so you may think you are okay but actually you're not. Some of these wounds resurface years later, when they are triggered by the same factors that inflicted the wound.
I didn't really understand this band-aid concept until God started a thorough healing process in me. You see, I was so hurt and wounded in my past and as a result, I've built thick and high walls around me which I thought would prevent me from getting hurt any further. I thought I was strong; I felt strong.
After I got reborn or born-again (after I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior and surrendered my life to Him), God started destroying those walls. Only then did I understand God's process of healing. Only then did I realize that my wounds have not healed. I just covered them with band-aid without knowing that the wound has been badly infected inside.
Christians do a great job in hiding these wounds. I totally understand why. Healing is a painful process and it can be very tiring and even time consuming. No wonder Bible schools don't include this healing process in their curriculum. Besides, it is not something that you can study and apply in your life. It has to be the work of the Holy Spirit. And it takes a deep seriousness in being healed and a total surrender to the Healer and the process of healing.
God started taking off my band-aid when after being happily and peacefully unattached for a while, I started entertaining men in my life again. These were strong men of God and I was not just dating for the heck of dating; I was dating to get married. It all began when God revealed who my husband was going to be.
I met my promised man in person but it was a very difficult long-distance situation that left me hurt and disappointed. This gave way to the next man of God who hurt me even more. Then came the third man of God, a pastor and leader of an entire denomination who was a very ideal candidate for a woman of God like me. Again, I was left hurt and wounded. In all those times I was asking God, "Why am I getting more hurt now from these men of God than I did with all those worldly men"? I almost threw in the towel and settled for a barely saved guy. Praise Jesus He sent me back my promised man.
God slowly started revealing to me that the reason why I was finally getting hurt was that He was taking off the band-aid and exposing my wounds. It was and still is a very painful process. It made me tell God to "stop" so many times; it made me even rebel a couple of times; and it made me want to put the band-aid back and just not deal with the wound. God told me one day, "It's up to you on how fast you will be healed. Do you want me to take off that band-aid fast even if it hurts or do you want me to take it off slowly? It's really up to you".
That's when I learned that the fastness or slowness of our healing really depends on us. You can choose to let that band-aid stay there until your wound rots; or you can let God remove it quickly no matter how painful it may get. I can honestly say that I have chosen the quick way but there were still some resistance and rebellion that came along the way.
Are all my wounds totally healed? Nope. Has God removed all my band-aids (I just didn't have one but a lot of them). I thought He had but each day I discover that I am still a work in progress. God is not done with me yet. In fact, God has been using my marriage as a healing ground, exposing more of my wounds that I didn't even know existed.
The beautiful part about this is that some of my wounds have indeed healed, and it never even left a mark. This has been a great source of encouragement and strength for me when God starts to take the next band-aid off. I know that if I just allow Him to do what He needs to do, He will perform a mighty healing in me, just as He has already done in some areas of my life.
It is your choice whether you want that band-aid removed quickly or not. But if you were to ask me, I will tell you this... LET GOD TAKE THAT BAND-AID OFF, NOW!
Lisa Maki is the founder of God'z Gurlz, a Bible-based online magazine for women whose mission is to is to provide a place where women can learn to manage their emotions, experience healing, receive love and acceptance, be free to be who God made them to be, and be the best they can be in their homes, schools, professions, relationships, and calling, through sharing of insights and experiences, counseling, prayer, and devotionals, thereby learning from and supporting each other. For more of Lisa's articles, visit http://godzgurlz.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_U_Maki Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6842905
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