I just read in a book by Henri Nouwen, The Wounded Healer, this excerpt:
“So it is with the minister. Since it is his task to make visible the first vestiges of liberation for others, he must bind his own wounds carefully in anticipation of the moment when he will be needed. He is called to be the wounded healer, the one who must look after his own wounds but at the same time be prepared to heal the wounds of others.”
This description of pastoral care in ministry is so true. Ministers hurt. Ministers have wounds. Yet at the same time they are, in many cases, expected to bandage their own wounds as they run out the door to tend to the needs of others. I am not saying that others, the members of our churches, are naïve to the fact that we have wounds that need tending. No. What I am saying is that this is the ministry to which we have accepted a calling. We have accepted such a calling because we are compassionate about the needs, hurts, and feelings of those around us. We want to help. We desire to see Christ and his love usher the hurting past the conflict in their lives into a pure sense of healing and forgiveness; redemption.
But I also want to point out an interesting role reversal of this thought that I have seen in the church with which I am currently serving. Many of our members have become ministers of pastoral care; wounded healers. Within the past few years, I have watched many of our members who have struggled with their own turmoil, bandage their wounds and rush to the aid of those who were hurting in many of the same ways. Before their own wounds were completely healed, they wrapped themselves up, rushed to their friends, and became a rock and shoulder to lean on in the midst of the pain.
This is not so surprising to me, however, because it is exactly what Scripture teaches. We are told to make disciples, empowering others to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. We are to empower them not only for the ministry of evangelism, but also for the ministry of healing. Paul also indicated that this ministry of wounded healing is the ministry that we as Christians were called to:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
That, my friends, is the beautiful thing about being a part of a community of faith. Yes, we have a wounded healer in Jesus Christ; one who shed his blood to redeem us from ourselves and give us the hope of eternal life. We also have a whole family of wounded healers; those who have been there and can understand our pain. They understand and they can, because they have been there, help provide for us comfort and suggestions for the road of recovery. We must open our own hearts to their care and concern, accepting their help and beginning the healing process.
Praise be to God for our own…Wounded Healers.
“So it is with the minister. Since it is his task to make visible the first vestiges of liberation for others, he must bind his own wounds carefully in anticipation of the moment when he will be needed. He is called to be the wounded healer, the one who must look after his own wounds but at the same time be prepared to heal the wounds of others.”
This description of pastoral care in ministry is so true. Ministers hurt. Ministers have wounds. Yet at the same time they are, in many cases, expected to bandage their own wounds as they run out the door to tend to the needs of others. I am not saying that others, the members of our churches, are naïve to the fact that we have wounds that need tending. No. What I am saying is that this is the ministry to which we have accepted a calling. We have accepted such a calling because we are compassionate about the needs, hurts, and feelings of those around us. We want to help. We desire to see Christ and his love usher the hurting past the conflict in their lives into a pure sense of healing and forgiveness; redemption.
But I also want to point out an interesting role reversal of this thought that I have seen in the church with which I am currently serving. Many of our members have become ministers of pastoral care; wounded healers. Within the past few years, I have watched many of our members who have struggled with their own turmoil, bandage their wounds and rush to the aid of those who were hurting in many of the same ways. Before their own wounds were completely healed, they wrapped themselves up, rushed to their friends, and became a rock and shoulder to lean on in the midst of the pain.
This is not so surprising to me, however, because it is exactly what Scripture teaches. We are told to make disciples, empowering others to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. We are to empower them not only for the ministry of evangelism, but also for the ministry of healing. Paul also indicated that this ministry of wounded healing is the ministry that we as Christians were called to:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
That, my friends, is the beautiful thing about being a part of a community of faith. Yes, we have a wounded healer in Jesus Christ; one who shed his blood to redeem us from ourselves and give us the hope of eternal life. We also have a whole family of wounded healers; those who have been there and can understand our pain. They understand and they can, because they have been there, help provide for us comfort and suggestions for the road of recovery. We must open our own hearts to their care and concern, accepting their help and beginning the healing process.
Praise be to God for our own…Wounded Healers.
