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. These are people who know you and have used their knowledge as a weapon. There seems to be no point of return. Forgiveness is unforeseeable.
While in the vortex of emotional pain, thinking about forgiveness seems impossible and humanly speaking it is. Left to my own devices I’m tempted to keep the wound fresh, opening myself to further infection. At this forgive/NOT crossroads, the life of Jesus and his own friendly wounds can become my inspiration. The gift of Jesus’ humanity gives me a “how to forgive” guide when it comes to my own woundedness.
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 honing the art 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.
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