The Wounded Spirit - part 3
As I began to learn more about how the Lord could heal wounded hearts, I was brought back in my memories to an incident that occurred at a relative’s home when I was around seven or eight years old. Somehow during a ten-day visit with family, I had come down with pneumonia and my parents had to take me to the doctor. I vividly remember that the medicine prescribed for me cost eight dollars which was rather expensive at that time so many years ago.
When we returned to the relative’s house my mother started to express her concern about the price of the doctor’s visit and the medicine. As she entered the kitchen she turned around and yelled at me, “You should have worn a sweatshirt like I told you. Then this would never have happened. You would not have gotten sick if you had dressed warmly.”
Being sick, scared, tired, and now embarrassed and shamed, I looked at her in shock. Something internally happened to me that day. I began to think that when someone was scolded, it had to be MY fault. Teachers in counseling sessions would tell my mother that I was an excellent student, but I always took everything to heart like it was MY fault.
That wound as a little girl traveled with me for many years, affecting my thinking, behavior, and confidence. My mother of course had no idea the damage her words caused me that day so long ago.
As we continue to look at this topic of the wounded spirit, we find that one of the worst wounds possible can be the wound of a talebearer. The Bible tells us that these wounds go down into the innermost parts of the belly. They sit deep inside and begin to bear either good fruit or bad fruit.
Some talebearer’s words can almost knock the life out of us. We become shocked, extremely hurt, or sometimes very angry. Our responses to this wounding can vary from burying the hurt, to reacting defensively, to actual retaliation. The cause of many murders can be traced back to the wounds of a talebearer hurting someone so deeply that anger takes over and murder results from that unbridled rage.
Most parents can remember times when their child has been falsely accused, slandered, or been the target of someone else’s gossip. Sometimes our children are ridiculed for being Christians, for desiring to be virgins, or for choosing not to drink alcohol. Children yearn to be liked and accepted. That is why name-calling is so destructive and causes wounds in their hearts.
Next week I will share two personal examples as to how I have witnessed the wounding power of spoken words. As we close now, let’s ask the Lord to forgive us of all words we have spoken as a talebearer throughout the years. Lord, forgive us, and please heal all wounded hearts our words have caused.
Dr. Sharon Predovich
