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Last Sunday our pastor started on chapter five of First Corinthians. Much of the letter is corrective and in chapter five Paul takes the gloves off. The pastor said he had heard a surgeon say, “The chance to cut is the chance to heal.” I’ve never heard that, but I really like it.
A surgeon cuts away diseased tissue and cancer. Or they cut through healthy tissue to get to what needs to be removed or fixed. Surgery is never fun. You hurt afterwards, it takes time to recover, you may have a scar, and you might lose part of your body or have some long-term limitation because of the cutting. But your situation is far better than if you had not been cut. Surgery can save your life, restore lost function, or end ongoing pain or disability.
Because God loves us, He does surgery on our lives and hearts. And sometimes He uses those around us to do surgery on us. A close friend, a spiritual mentor, a trained counsellor, a family member, or even your wife can be used by God to do cutting that heals. But as you wouldn’t want just anyone to remove your appendix or repair your hernia, you don’t want just anyone to cut into your life and heart. Done wrong, surgery can cause massive problems including death, disfigurement, and permanent disability. Likewise, a badly done attempt at pointing out sin or encouraging growth can do you massive harm.
We each need a few people in our lives we trust to do the cutting that brings healing. Vet those people well and do it before you need their help. Be sure they have your best interest at heart. Make sure they can act in love and know that they are more concerned with God’s will than your approval or comfort.
Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay
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A record for arthroscopic knee surgery: When I woke up after the surgery, my knee had less pain than when I went in. Not a bad thing! :-)
Would that they could cut away
the cancer that’s within,
but I’m afraid it’s here to stay,
and that it’s gonna win.
But this is not completely bad,
it’s changed the way I think and live,
and though thought of departure’s sad,
I focus on what I can give
to a world that’s speeding past,
that of friends and wife;
nothing, surely, that will last,
but still, some token of the life
that I lived upon this Earth
as I go to death’s rebirth.