Blood Clots & Healing
We lament the wounded thing--
Scabs that seal over swollen skin
And bruises' slow fade, healing
Within the body's natural rhythm.
Blood binds together and hushes
Upon the surface, while deeper in
Flows a hidden hurt, a pain
That resists bandaging. We heal
Our flesh and limp along. Yet
After each wound smooths over,
What gauze will be used to bind
The soul's fracture? This place
Where all humanity groans but
Cannot recover without a brace.
This damage so ancient and raw
It binds each page of our history
And memory into volumes, thick
Spines stitched into one story
Of falling short and seeking hope.
Holy Spirit coheres each soul
Through the tether of brokenness
So we are not alone, one wound
Addressed by one Healer who
Mends the bloodless wounds
With a blood-letting sacrifice--
That when the body breaks apart
And weeps from tender slits like
Bursting eyes, we reach for a balm;
But when hearts become scored,
There is already Jesus, his Spirit and
His clotting blood.
--
There are many ways to become damaged in this life. Our bodies are fragile and finite, and we use a combination of time, medicine, and complex procedures to strive towards healing. As displayed through this pandemic, we also go to extreme measures to ensure each other's wellness, adapting as best we can to take care of ourselves and one another. We're often quick to address what's physically wrong and how to navigate the challenges which arise. After all, don't we speak up when we're in pain? Don't we seek solutions to help eliminate those distractions? And when loved ones end up hurt, we come alongside them in any way we can to encourage them -- sending balloons to the hospital, preparing and delivering casseroles, applying band-aids from first-aid kits, taking a seat at their side or sitting on the phone to be present. We want our bodies to be whole.
That's why it's so ironic that things we all experience collectively often go unnoticed and undiscussed: Internal pain. Discouragement. Trauma. Emotional struggles. Sin.
We are bound to God through His Spirit within us. That same Spirit also connects us with one another as Christians. This should compose a community to promote healing for all of the internal ravagings of sin which burden us, affecting us just as much as many physical ailments. Some of the largest wounds are mental, spiritual, and emotional, many of which are just as complex and long-lasting as problems of the flesh, and sometimes even more so. We need to bind up our inner wounds just as much as anything we see bleeding on the outside.
God knows this, of course, and reaches out to us! He uses blood as a metaphor for our sin because it is something we all understand. The animal sacrifices of the Old Testament renewed the tether between Him and His people, allowing the unseen wounds of wrongdoing and guilt to be released and healed. Then Jesus died for us as the final Lamb of sacrifice! His blood is the representation of our impurities being called out into the open, of our illness meeting at last with its cure, and an ever-open door between patient and Healer.
It's incredible that our Lord wants to bind our stories with His through an intentional relationship. It's even more incredible that He underwent the worst physical and mental pain on our behalf -- not that it would be eliminated from our lives forever, but that we might find Him in the midst of our own sufferings, His arms outstretched and His bandages ready to brace our hurt with grace.
Comments