We live in a world at war and no one makes it through unharmed. While some wounds are more evident than others, we’re all confronted with our share of suffering, pain, and heartaches in this fallen world. And this is a reminder to be gracious to each other, and ourselves, as we learn how to rise again despite the casualties we’ve experienced.
To be sure, everyone has his story. And we probably don’t have to listen too long before many struggles and wounds are revealed. This might include wounds from childhood or hardships we’ve had to face later in life.
Perhaps it’s physical ailments or a deep sense of inadequacies and fear of abandonment. Or maybe we’ve suffered at the hands of someone else’s sins against us, or the lingering consequences of our own entanglements. Our stories might also be marked with any number of tragedies, natural disasters, or internal battles not of our choosing.
Whatever it looks like, it’s clear many things are not as they should be in this world. And each one of us has been profoundly impacted, though everyone’s story is different.
On the one hand, we’re very aware of our struggles and it’s easy to dismiss that of others. We don’t see the depth of their pain and this makes it hard to empathize with them.
At the same time, we might also be quick to downplay our wounds because they don’t seem as bad as someone else’s. And comparison once again blocks the grace we need to extend to ourselves as well.
The point is not to wallow in mutual self-pity because we’ve all experienced the casualties of war in this world. But it is to live with greater patience and understanding as we learn how to love each other well.
In the end, no one escapes this life unharmed. We’ve all experienced casualties in this fallen world. Be gracious to each other as you learn to rise and love again.
Photo by Katherine Gu on Unsplash
