The Missing Chunk

 Yesterday I was down at the barn with a visitor and I decided to inspect my horse's mouth because he had been acting strangely. Horses sometimes get sharp points on their back molars which then need to be filed down. It can cause them a lot of discomfort as well as weight loss. So I carefully slid my index finger up the inside of his gum to feel for a point. There it was, sharp as a razor! But before I could  withdraw my finger, my gentle steed decided to chomp down on a piece of stray hay he had hidden in his mouth. I felt  intense pain as I quickly removed my finger. There was a gush of blood, and I ran across the field to the house holding my finger, in a futile effort to stop the blood flow. As I placed the profusely bleeding finger under running water and then doused it with peroxide, I couldn't discern  the total damage, but I could see a chunk was missing. Not stitchable, I was sure, because the flesh was gone! A trip to Urgent Care for bandaging, a tetanus shot, and some pain killer was imminent. So I am experiencing   throbbing pain,  have certain restrictions, and a rather lengthy time frame ahead of me as the healing process  begins. Actually, from the inside out.

I know this is not a pretty analogy, but there is nothing pretty about sexual abuse either. It bites a big chunk out of our body and soul and leaves us bleeding and throbbing in silent pain.  A part of us is just gone: dignity, the experience of healthy God-given sexuality, normal behavioral development,  to name few. Instead, we are left bleeding with shame, guilt, fear and a myriad of other issues. We may think we can just "stitch up the wound" and forget about it, but the reality is that the heart has had a big chunk removed and it must heal from the inside out. And that, short of a miracle, takes time and may be painful.
But the good news is that my finger will heal! The miraculous capability of the human body to fill in the missing chunk is remarkable. And the even greater news is that we have a Healer, who himself was wounded,  left to die, bleeding and naked. He understands. He knows about the missing chunk that was stolen from our being when we were betrayed and left naked. He understands betrayal and shame. And He wants to heal us. Not just superficially, but from the inside out. He did not create us to go through life with a missing chunk. He created us to live in wholeness, with a deep inner joy as we gaze into His eyes and realize He truly does love us. He did not remain dead or wounded, but rather was resurrected in power and glory. Neither do we need to remain wounded. His resurrection power will also raise us up! What a Redeemer!!!

"Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the likeness of His resurrection." Romans 6:4b