Hi y'all! Hope all is well with you & yours. :) As for me, I went to visit my son lately and had a super time (...he even took me to a pro tennis match...loved it!). So I guess I was trying to give him a taste of his Mama's home cooking, too. But in the process, I burned my hand on the pot of grits and the bacon drippings popped up on my arm. Ouch! Maybe I was trying too hard, huh? Besides my son is kind of a health nut, now, and I don't even know if he still likes grits & bacon...but you know how us mothers do. :) I immediately slapped on the toothpaste (any brand) to prevent blisters, applied anti-bacterial ointment daily, put a smile on my face & carried on with the fun.
Anyway, I've been watching my burns heal, and I'm so amazed. We are indeed "...fearfully and wonderfully made". (Psalm 139:14) And, now, after a few weeks, one of the spots is almost invisible, and the other is returning to a matching shade of fabulous. The Lord made it such that one boo-boo is not the end...not the end of our skin...not the end of our lives. We can heal. We can recover. Isn't that a blessing?
And, thankfully, it's not just a physical phenomena. It's an emotional reality, too. And I think it's one we should focus on as often as we do our physical mishaps 'cause the process is the same. When we have an emotional upheaval--disappointment, upset, heartbreak, injuries of any kind, we have to act immediately to address the situation. Maybe it's not toothpaste we use, but we have to clean the wound by admitting it to ourselves and confessing our feelings to the Lord. (1 Peter 5:7) This keeps our hearts clean and open to receive the love of the Lord, which is the balm for our souls. (Psalm 23; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4) This immediate attention is only the beginning, however. Until the wound is completely healed, we must continue to bathe it in the Word of the Lord so our hearts will stay flesh and not become hard and turn to stone. (2 Corinthians 3:3) The Bible will remind us to forgive, not to let bitterness creep in, and not to play the blame game with others or ourselves. His Word will remind us that His grace and mercy are everlasting and always at our disposal. (Psalm 103:17) After all, everything that comes our way--no matter who delivers it--comes to us through the hands of the Lord, either to teach us by His mercy, or grow us in His grace. And no matter what happens, we can lean on Him. And no matter who does what, Jesus will never leave us or fail us. (Hebrews 13:5) And with time, not only will our hearts heal, but we'll be stronger in faith for the experience. (2 Corinthians 12:9; 1 Peter 4:19) Now... isn't that a blessing! :jb
