Wounds Cut Deep

We all have wounds; some are little scrapes and bruises and some are embedded deep within our souls. We, as people, cannot avoid the hurt, but we can choose how to deal with it. As I look around the classroom at school I can see pain in so many people's eyes. Some mask it with a grin, others cover it up with a list of things they have to do, and some just give up all together. We are in a world full of hurting people; hurting people with hidden pasts.
Some wounds are so painful that we try to cover them up quickly and as painlessly as possible. We wipe the dust off our hands, the tears off our face, and place a little silly bandaid on with the cartoon smiley faces. We try to continue through life never giving the wound the attention it needs. We walk through life with that little piece of tape over that gaping wound without ever realizing that one of the most important parts of the healing process is oxygen. Wounds need oxygen to heal, or the wound will become pruny and old. Wounds need to be exposed every once in a while if we ever want them to fully heal.
I don't know what pain you have been enduring lately: a death of a family member, a harshly spoken word, or a feeling of loneliness, but remember that we can't keep those cartoon faces on our wounds forever, we need to expose them. God's redemptive healing power works best when we are exposed and vulnerable. The fact is, God can see past our silly cartoon bandaids to the real pain. He can see the baggage we carry around and he can see the deep cuts to our heart.
That's one of the most amazing parts about this relationship with God. We don't have to come to him as something we're not. We can come ugly, bruised, and beaten up. We don't have to be strong because he is our strength, we don't need to be perfect because he is, we don't need to be everything because he thinks that each of us is enough. We don't need to be because he is. He is God and we are not. He sees our hearts and he sees our pain.
I don't know what you have been covering up lately, but whatever it is remember- we can't hide under the cartoon bandaid forever, we need to rip it off and expose ourselves, because true healing, healing from God, doesn't come without a little oxygen.