Friendly Wounds

And if one asks him, “What are these
wounds on your back?” he will say,
“The wounds I received in the house of
my friends.”

Zechariah 13:6

Privilege and luxury were Malika’s daily life as the adopted daughter of the king. As companion to the princess she was afforded the rights of the monarchy. Besides missing life with her birth family there wasn’t any reason to believe that her opulent life would change. However, a failed coup by her birth father, the king’s general, tilted her world, dumping her into prison along with her mother and five siblings. The king, whom she had considered a second father, became her jailer for the next twenty years.

Betrayal and injury by friends or family is perhaps the most difficult wound from which to heal. There exists a vulnerable factor. Here are people who know you and have seemingly used that knowledge as a weapon. There seems to be no point of return. Forgiveness is improbable.

While in the vortex of emotional pain thinking about forgiveness seems impossible and humanly speaking it is. Left to our own devices we’re tempted to keep the wound fresh opening ourselves to further infection. In our inability to forgive the life of Jesus and his own friendly wounds can become our inspiration. The gift of Jesus’ humanity gives us a “how to forgive” guide when it comes to being wounded by those who know us best.

With the help of His Father, Jesus accepted his friendly wounds as indications that the one who was wounding had a greater need--His Father’s love. Accepting our friendly wounds with the Jesus spirit we, too, will discover that living in the kingdom means opening the gift of forgiveness.

Jesus, thank you for the
gift of your humanity.
Your willingness to be born
into this world of hurt
shows me that I am not alone.
But your life also opens the
way to a life of forgiveness.
Amen.