Healing of a wounded faith

Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him and fell at His feet saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” ~ John 11:32

When our faith is wounded, everything in our spiritual life is affected. The death of Lazarus created a deep wound in the faith of Mary and Martha. Behind their polite words were traces of deep pain in the soul! There is anger, there is sulking, there is blame; there is a deep puncture in the core of their faith! Join me as we attend the funeral of Lazarus and from here, see the glory of God... not only in raising the dead back to life but in healing a wounded faith. Today, you are reading an article. Maybe tomorrow, this will be a tool of grace that helps other wounded souls move on.

Notice the reality of the vulnerability of the two sisters. Do not just observe... reflect upon your own vulnerability too. At one time, Mary was praised by the Master for choosing to listen to Jesus as she sat at His feet while Martha was busy in the kitchen, preparing for dinner. Martha was corrected by Christ, not because of her service, but because of her misplaced priority. Mary was praised because of her devotion. Clearly, the point belongs to Mary. Here, we learn that yesterday’s spiritual points or strength is not a guarantee to be of any use in facing today’s storms! The word vulnerable comes to my mind and is slowly being internalized by my heart. In the midst of this great loss where a dear brother died, both Mary and Martha responded from a wounded faith... “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died”... can you sense the pain?

Jesus was not there when they needed him the most – to heal Lazarus. Perhaps, their closeness to the Master had subtly convinced them that they had been given a ticket of exemption from the raw realities of life. Pause a while and reflect... often, the culprit of wounded faith is our over-expectation, or simply put, wounded faith is a timely reminder that we are humans after all. Many people, in the hour of spiritual ecstasy, or spiritual triumph must have been unaware to have believed and have acted as ‘super Christians’... mind you, I said unaware. When the storms come, a rude awakening is inevitable. Unlikely words coming from a wounded faith are uttered.

What lesson can we learn from this part of the story? Faith is fragile... it can be wounded. Christ is indeed the great physician and the most gracious One who treats and heals people with wounded faiths. Here, the Lord is gracious and truthful... what a rare combination for healing wounded faith. Obviously, none of us should even think, feel, and act as if we were men and women of steel. The truth is vulnerability helps us find God and taste His pure grace!

Thanks for reading this far. Wait for the next article about wounded faith. We can only chew this much for now ....

Thank you for reading. I am learning to write from a wounded heart.