A note from the author: If you need a breakthrough in your life that can set you free, this study guide is for YOU! I can personally testify that what you read here can change your life, the path you are on, and the direction you are going! If you are suffering from tragedy and loss, these words will bring refreshment and healing to your wounded soul. What have you got to lose except your pain—why not give it a try? ~ Sarah Jane
1. How Jesus Deals with Our Wounds
The wounds that stay with us long after a significant life event are simply what I call “leftovers.” While leftovers from dinner may be desirable, the leftovers from close-up and personal tragic events are not. No way! But like all leftovers, we eventually have to deal with them.
My favorite Bible story about how Jesus treats a wounded person is found in Luke Chapter 10:30-37. Let’s go there.
30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. 37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
In my book, There Is Life after Tragedy, on pages 76 & 77, I explained this story like this: I asked the readers to see Jesus as the Good Samaritan and themselves as the wounded person. That is a powerful way to personalize this story about Jesus and His care for us. In the following exercise, we will identify all of the things Jesus did for the wounded person—YOU.
As you read each of the sentences below, write your name in every blank.
1) Jesus saw _________________.
2) Jesus had compassion for __________________.
3) Jesus went to ____________________.
4) Jesus poured oil on ________________’s wounds.
5) Jesus bandaged ________________’s wounds.
6) Jesus carried ___________________ to a place of safety to recover.
7) In that place of restoration, Jesus was ______________’s caregiver.
8) Then, Jesus made arrangements for ______________’s short-term care by paying someone to provide the care.
9) Next, Jesus paid in advance for ________________’s long term care and promised to cover all future expenses.
WOW! How much more could Jesus have done to ensure that the wounded person recovered, or that you and I recover from our wounds? Nothing more, because His promises are as good as His actions. He cares deeply about healing our wounds.
2. Why the Wounds?
In my book, I tackled why we have to suffer in life. Unless we have an extremely healthy family, we will all have to deal with the hardships that come with death and disease. And unless we ourselves die at a very early age, we will all have to bury a loved one. As hard as it is to believe, even as a Christian, suffering and death become a normal part of life.
In Chapter 9 of my book, I included a poetic writing that I wrote during my husband’s two-year battle with cancer. It was titled “Why the Wounds?” and is found on Pages 78 and 79. If the title suggests that God has good reason for our suffering, it’s because He does. I ended the poem with these words: “For out of the anguish of the soul, revelation is birthed.”
I’m sure you are thinking, “What does that mean? I thought God was a good God.” I’ll try to explain. In order for us to grow up and mature in this Christian life we are going to encounter pain, wounds, hard circumstances, loss, and yes, more pain. But each of those have a “silver-lining” tucked inside of it. It may take years of growth before we recognize what the “School of Hard Knocks” is all about, but we will eventually come out on the other side of our trials and realize that we have indeed grown. We now see more, know more, and love more than we did before, because revelation was birthed in us!
In the Chapter 1 Study Guide, Section 4, we recorded a “memory that still hurts.” Look back at Chapter 1 to find what you wrote down. Is it possible that your memory had a silver-living you didn’t see then; but later you realized that something better happened because of it? If you didn’t write down anything in Chapter 1, recall at least one event in your life that caused pain, yet later resulted in great value to your life. It could be as simple as not getting a job that you applied for, but instead, God led you to a better one. Briefly describe your experience.
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A baby doesn’t enter the world without pain to itself and also to its mother. Yet, painful births (i.e. trials; circumstances; changes) are something very valuable to us. But we must not forget to look for those eye-opening moments that make a huge deposit into our lives. However, if we stay locked in self-pity and angry at God, we will miss the revelation He intended for us to receive.
3. Climbing Higher in God
If we can accept that God uses our pain to bring about change in our lives, then our part is to be receptive to what He is doing in us. That brings us to this thought-provoking question: “Have I ever used my pain to climb to a higher place in God?” My answer has been “Yes” many times, because I learned over time to trust God with my suffering, my losses, and my pain. I bet you have too.
A higher place in God simply means we are now in a better position to see what is happening around us. In other words, we get a better view from up there! The response of saying, “God, I’m content right where I am,” doesn’t work out well. God has a passionate heart of love for each of His children, and His eternal goal is to shape us into the image of His Son, Jesus. In fact, refusal to cooperate with the Creator of your life, will only cause Him to pursue you relentlessly until you yield to His shaping. This will become clear as we read Hebrews Chapter 12:5-6a.
5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. 6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves….”
Do you have a story of God’s careful shaping of your life as His beloved child that brought you to a higher place of understanding and blessing? If so, write it below.
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4. Identify Theft ~ How Can We Prevent It?
One of Satan’s greatest tricks against us when we are wounded is to separate us from our true identity in Christ. He tries to convince us that God doesn’t love us or this wouldn’t have happened. Or he uses the age-old condemnation trick of telling us that we are hopeless, useless, and actually lost from God. If he can get a foothold into our lives, be assured that he will steal our true identity, kill us by drowning us in grief, and destroy any proof that we are a child of God. Did you get that? The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy! (John 10:10)
Satan did that to me and I spent months drowning in sorrow and self-pity. And then one day, I got mad at that thief and started fighting back. I wrote down all the positive things that I am—my true identify in Christ Jesus! And then I read it to the devil himself. As my faith began to rise up on the inside of me, I took back my identity and my life! And you can too! Below describes who I am when I am holding the Hand of God. (Pages 82–83 in There Is Life after Tragedy)
HOLDING THE HAND OF GOD
The road may be rocky, but I’ll not stumble. Fiery darts may be hurdled, but they’ll not penetrate my life. Storm clouds may darken the sky, but I’ll come out on the other side. The whole world may look hopeless, but it is not my home. For I shall run and not be weary; I shall walk and not faint, while holding the hand of God.
Therefore, my hope is sure. My light is shining. My way is bright. My heart is steady. My faith is strong. My peace is unexplainable. And my world is safe, while holding the hand of God.
My will is surrendered. My motives are pure. My vision is clear. My mind is set. My purpose is determined. My goal is reachable. And my agenda is His agenda, while holding the hand of God.
My strength is renewed. My wisdom is from above. My thoughts are just. My words are full of grace. My meditations are acceptable. My song is filled with praise. And my only desire is to please Him, while holding the hand of God.
Dear One, my heart hurts for you. I know what it feels like to have the world spinning around you, and you desperately need for it to stop. But you now know that God cares about you, and you have powerful scriptures that tell you He loves you, He cares about your wounds, and the enemy cannot have your identity. So, encourage yourself, and claim a breakthrough right now in Jesus’s powerful name, and He will hear and answer you!
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, only you know the deep wounds in my life and how desperately I need your help. I believe the scriptures that I read above, and I want to be healed from all of my brokenness. I call out to you to heal me, and today I reclaim my identity: I am a Child of God! I am yours and you are mine. Thank you for loving me and answering my prayer. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.