Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts
us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the
comfort we ourselves receive from God…2 Corinthians 1: 3-4
A few years ago, as part of my
preparation for a workshop I read a book by Henri Nouwen entitled The
Wounded Healer. The reflections I present in this blog post are from my
point of view as a “wounded healer.”
A Reflection on Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has put
the spotlight on the brokenness of the world and the need for healers. The
whole planet is broken. Here in the West with a reputation of the denial of
grief and death we have been smacked across the face of society. Only the most
hardened arrogance can continue to deny the reality of pain, suffering and
death. This all exposes the need for wounded healers.
The Wounded Healer
If you are unfamiliar with one being a wounded healer here is a brief overview.
- · The
call of a wounded healer is to come alongside other people and comfort them
- · Wounded
healers acknowledge their own woundedness and practice self-care
- · A wounded healer walks for often there is no need to run
- · They
accept the love and support of people who care for them…those who empathize
with them
- · Personal
suffering enables one to come alongside people with patience and presence
- · The
act of coming alongside is to help others know they are not alone in their
suffering
- · A wounded healer keeps grief and suffering out of the shadows by entering its
difficult territory and listens to the stories of others.
As a wounded healer I am aware
of how the pandemic has crippled my life. There are things in life I miss.
Life I Miss
I miss hugs. I miss going to a
coffee shop first thing in the morning and writing. I miss feeling free and
safe. I miss going to visit my kids and grandkids whenever I want. I miss
walking down a street and seeing all sorts of people going all sorts of places.
Before life became a bit more relaxed here in BC, I missed my church family
more than they may ever know.
As a wounded healer I am also aware
of my own emotional woundedness, yet this does not disable my desire to help
other people. You see, wounded healers are ambassadors of hope. We live in the
hope of God.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,
for he who promised is faithful…Hebrews 10:23
Wounded Healers Embrace Hope
Most of my life has been
devoted to helping people, to encourage them, and accompany them on their grief
journeys. In "retirement," I write about life and the things we endure
like the Covid pandemic. Yes, we can endure this monster because we live with
hope.
Hope is like the huge smile of a child soon to burst forth as a belly laugh. Hope sees the pain of the world yet also sees the healing there is because God has sent His Son to be our Wounded Healer. Our hope is sealed.
My dear friends, join with me in the need for wounded healers in our world. Wounded healers represent hope. Together despite
our own woundedness we can offer real and eternal hope to all we meet.
Please join me as a Wounded
Healer. Are you in?
Alan lives in Deroche, B.C.
with his wife, Terry. He contributed stories to Good Grief People by Angel Hope
Publishing, 2017; Story by Story: The Power of a Writer, Unstoppable Writers
Publishing, 2018. Alan periodically writes articles for FellowScript Magazine.
He has written posts for our InScribe blog since 2015. Blog: https://scarredjoy.ca.
