“Do you think there are wounds that don’t heal in this life?” The women seated in the circle nodded at their friend’s question and looked to me. I had spoken on forgiveness, and the group wanted to discuss it.

“Yes,” I said. “Do you remember Frodo in Lord of the Rings? The pain of his wound made him willing to sail off with the elves and leave this life.”

Some of the hobbits came home from war and entertained their countrymen with their tales of battle. But for Frodo, the real war hero, war stories were painful—not amusing.

Forgiveness isn’t a panacea for all pain. Forgiveness frees us from bitterness so our hearts won’t become hard, but they may still hurt.

Real people, godly people, also continue to suffer from some wounds. Paul wanted to go and be with the Lord, but he knew his life here benefited Christ’s followers. He wore his scars as a badge of honor (2 Cor. 11:21-30, Gal. 5:17). Joseph wept when years after being reconciled with his brothers, they still felt uneasy around him (Gen. 50:17).

I believe God uses our deep wounds to draw us closer to Him. They create a secret place to fellowship with Christ’s sufferings. They don’t master us, but under the right circumstance, like an old physical injury, they ache. They remind us that some losses won’t be fully satisfied until heaven. We aren’t home yet.Continue Reading