We are all broken. We have all been wounded by some sort of shrapnel, in this “War” we like to call life. There has been something in each of our lives that has changed us forever. There is or has been a piece of shrapnel in us all. Whether our shrapnel is small or large, smooth or jagged, thick or thin, deep or superficial- determines the extent of our wound.
Some of us have been able to identify exactly where this piece of pain lies, and what exactly has caused it. Then we gritted our teeth and pulled it out. Letting time, care, and love mend the place that once was so painful.
Some of us have a pain so deep that we graze over it and feel the deep pain it causes, but can’t exactly put our finger on it- to successfully pull it out. Just like with any foreign body lodging within us, when it is not dislodged- it festers up, it becomes red and angry. It spews corrupting, defiling, noxious, infective poison. As time proceeds, this infection makes it way to our bloodstream, and then is pumped out from our hearts to consume our whole body. It consumes us. And if not treated, this infection will become the death of us- the death of our souls.
Until the shrapnel is expelled, we cannot heal. We will continue to become red and angry. We will continue to spew corruptive, defiling, noxious, infectious poison- for that is what flows from our hearts at that point. We will continue to die a little every day that passes with the pain that consumes us.
How many of us are walking around with shrapnel? How many of our loved ones are living the pain from something buried deep inside? How many burdens are we all carrying that are not ours to bear? For the God who loves us all bore the strips upon His back and body- so that we could all be healed!
When someone you love hurts you, maybe it’s not you that’s hurting quite as much as they are. Maybe they don’t understand why they do the things they do….. maybe they have some shrapnel lodged deep within that they just can’t stand to remove by themselves-
Relationships are hard. Whether they are blood or water. Whether they are family, a lover, or a friend. But what if God has specifically placed you in someone’s life to help them pinpoint their shrapnel, dislodge it, and expel it?
My prayer tonight is that the shrapnel that holds so many of us hostage is completely expelled and banished from us forevermore. That we may love each other even through our brokenness. Because it is only through the brokenness that our light shines through.
