When my daughter was younger, I remember when she would get hurt and come running into the room looking for help. There were a number of times when her injury was bad enough that I needed to go get a bandaid, ointment, or an ice pack. But, more often than not, she didn’t need first aid. Instead, she needed to be acknowledged and comforted and reassured that she was going to be ok. I feel like we developed a little ritual that many families, maybe even yours, would go through each time.
After I would dry her tears, I would ask, “Where does it hurt?” She would point to the elbow, knee, or finger that was injured. I would then say, “Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?” My daughter would sniffle and nod and extend the injured part to me for a little peck. After the kiss, sometimes, almost magically, she would spring up and run back to whatever activity she was doing before getting hurt.
That’s the way it went each time. Before asking “Do you want me to make it better,” I would ask her, “Where does it hurt?”
As we walk through this ministry year with the calling to “Make It Better,” I think we should also find ourselves often asking, “Where does it hurt?” Knowing the source of our own pain and the pain of those around us is the first step in making it better. For many of us, we avoid facing our own pain. And when it comes to the pain of others, we sometimes skip asking the question “Where does it hurt” altogether because we want to rush to a resolution.
Jesus gave us a great example to sympathize with our hurt and pain first as described in Hebrews 4:14-15 which says He “sympathizes with us in our frailty” and “He understands humanity.” He became acquainted with our suffering so that he could truly heal us.
What does it look like when Christ makes things better? In Verse 16 it says, “So now we draw near freely and boldly to where grace is enthroned, to receive mercy’s kiss and discover the grace we urgently need to strengthen us in our time of weakness” (TPT).
Do you see Christ’s kiss? He kisses us with His mercy. Christ’s healing kiss is made complete in his mercy and grace which strengthens us in our time of weakness. So let us move forward in our calling to “Make it Better” this ministry year, and all along the way let us begin this journey of healing by asking, “Where does it hurt?”
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