UNDERSTANDING FATHER WOUNDS THROUGH THE LENS OF FAITH PART 2 "BE OPEN"

The topic at hand is a deep and emotional one, delving into the concept of "father wounds" and specifically looking through the lens of the Gospel according to John. Father Wounds: A Silent Struggle In his landmark book, Wild at Heart, John Eldridge paints a vivid picture of the pain many men carry within them. He writes, “Every boy, in his journey to become a man, takes an arrow in the center of his heart, in the place of his strength. Because this wound is rarely discussed and even more rarely healed, every man carries a wound. And the wound is nearly always given by his father.” There has been much written about this “father-wound” in recent years, relating it to the prevalent social dysfunction of many men. While some men may have found a healing from such a trauma to their inner man, it seems that most never really get sufficient relief resulting in never really living up to their true identity. While Eldridge notes that this topic is rarely discussed (especially in public), I suppose most of the reason for it is fear…fear of not being perceived as a man by other men. Yet, the wound remains, the effects rolling over to the next generation of boys and the next and the next. The Ultimate Father-Wound The ultimate “father-wound was prophesied by Isaiah seven hundred years before the fulfillment of what he “saw in the Spirit”: “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes, we were healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, everyone, to his own way; And the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6 Father God: The Image of Our Earthly Fathers Most people get their image of God from their earthly father. If you grew up without a father or a father who wasn’t kind and loving; maybe he was even harsh or mean or not there when you needed him, then you have to make sure you don’t let that image taint the picture of your heavenly Father. Maybe you have doubts about God’s love for you. Know today that God looks beyond your doubts. He wants to reveal Himself to you. This is the most important truth ever: You will only be healed to the point you allow Father God to touch you. And allow a new birth in your relationship with God as Father. You will experience healing to the fullest extent when you open yourself to Father God’s touch and allow His presence to work in your life. One Truth, One Habit The one truth we must receive is that God is good. As it is written in Psalms 34:8, "O taste and see that the LORD [our God] is good; How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who takes refuge in Him." We will never truly trust anyone we don’t fully believe is good. The one habit we must give up is our ability to dismiss God the Father from our lives. In other words, we say and know that something is true about Father God but we choose to say that He is completely irrelevant to me at this moment in my life. Jesus: The Healer of the Brokenhearted Jesus's mission is beautifully encapsulated in Luke 4:18, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me Because He has anointed Me, To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed." The term 'oppressed' here signifies those who are bruised, crushed, and wounded. The Bible in Basic English translates this passage, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me because I am marked out by him to give good news to the poor; he has sent me to make well those who are broken-hearted; to say that the prisoners will be let go, and the blind will see, and to make the wounded free from their chains."

Let me encourage you to spend some quality time with your Heavenly Papa allowing Him to touch your wounds. Come with an open and honest hearts. He wants to and is able to heal every and all wounds.