“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

I’ve had an active life. As a result, I carry a few scars on my body. I’ve had two knee replacements. The replacements left a six-inch scar on each knee. And then I’ve had others bodily scars which are tell-tale marks of my active life.

Bodily scars are not the only scars I carry. My heart has its own set of scars. Being a pastor for three plus decades left its mark. I have been disappointed, discouraged, deceived, misunderstood, overlooked, betrayed, criticized, judged, and otherwise let down in many ways. I have been wounded by people who should have had my back. I’ve had sleepless nights for board meetings I wanted no part of. I have scars on my heart, and you know what? I’m not alone on that journey.

Being the Director of the Kingdom Partnership, I’ve heard stories I should have never heard coming out of a pastor’s mouth. It’s not uncommon for pastors to be wounded.

The Apostle Paul was well acquainted with wounds of both body and heart. He highlighted many of these scars in his gospel writings.

Every pastor today has their own stories to tell. For pastors, wounds of the heart are inevitable. But what do you do with those wounds? How do you recover? Does a wound today mean you will be wounded forever?

I’ve given a lot of thought to how scars on my body offer hope to scars on my heart. Usually, people think of scars as ugly marks of a wound that healed. When you are wounded by a cut, your body goes through a predictable process. The wound bleeds, then scabs, then scars. The bleeding is evidence of the wound. The scab protects the wound while it heals. And the scar is a sign that the wound has healed. The scar says that the matter is over. Yes, it leaves a mark. But the wound doesn’t continue to bleed. It is healed. The Lord created us with the capacity to heal. It’s built into our bodies.

So, how about those wounds of the heart? Well, just like the body, the wounded heart goes through a process. The heart bleeds from the pain of the initial hurt. Then there is scabbing as the pain subsides but is not fully healed. Then a scar on the heart leaves a mark, but the heart no longer bleeds. Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” The Lord heals broken hearts. There may be scars, but the wounds don’t have to bleed.

The Lord wants to heal broken hearts. But for many of us, perhaps most, the body does a better job of healing than the heart. So, there are three lessons that the heart can take from the body.

One, sometimes the wounded heart fails to heal because you don’t reach out for help. If you have a serious laceration or severe knee pain, you go to a doctor, wo stitches the laceration or surgically repairs the knee. The wound heart can learn from that. Sometimes the wounded heart needs help from the outside. Instead, of suffering silence, seek the help when you need it.

The Kingdom Partnership offers pastors hope, support, and healing for their hearts. With our Shepherd’s Care Mental Health Program, a pastor can visit with a seasoned pastor/coach and get confidential assistance. There is no reason for a pastor to bottled up his wounded. Simply call: 402.297.6876 and be put in touch with a coach and necessary resourses.

The second lesson from the body is the scab. The scab is a temporary shield that protects the wound as it heals. We know that physically if one picks at the scab the wound bleeds again and opens the potential for infection. We know we shouldn’t pick a scab. But when a wound of the heart starts to heal, it is tempting to pick at the scab of the heart with a replay of the incident. The heart needs to learn from the body that if you keep picking a scab it bleeds and might get infected.

The third lesson involves the scar. The heart needs to re-think scars. Scars are a sign of a wound that has healed. Something happened. If left a scar on the heart. But it’s over. You need to rethink the scars of your heart. They are signs of past wounds that have been healed. Let them heal. Let them remind you of the healing and not the wounding. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3