Did You Break Something?

I was thinking today about brokenness and pain.  My father in-law's daughter has broken her dad's heart.  She doesn't want him to be her dad anymore.  This has been going on for several years.  And even though the initial break in the relationship happened years ago, he is still in pain.  And I am sure she is too.

Thinking about the pain of a break made me think of a broken bone.  The initial pain is excruciating for most.  I remember when our neighbor fell and broke her arm and she was screaming in pain as she was carried back to her home.  She had surgery to put a metal plate in her arm, but still she was in pain for many days while it was healing.  For many people who break a bone they have to also go through physical therapy after the bone is healed.  As they get use to working the area that had been immobile for a while, it is painful.  The healing process is a painful process.

The emotional healing process is also a painful process.  As I watch the girls I work with start the healing  process it is a lot like a physical break being healed.  They come in complete brokenness, not wanting anyone to touch the broken area because it just hurts so much.  But as the brokenness is addressed they hopefully see that it is a necessary experience to go through if they want that area to be healed and then strengthened.  It takes a willingness to allow someone to push you to the painful points, like in physical therapy.  And not just once, it happens over and over again so that you can move past the painful spot and gain freedom.

What a beautiful picture of healing.