INCANDESCENT

I’m sure when you were younger you tried this very thing. I know I have. Ripped the band aid off because I was told it was the easiest and less painful process, and completely ripped the scab right off of my body. The pain was striking, it created a deeper wound where the scab used to reside because I pulled flesh out with it, the edges around the wound began to swell and take up a red tint and i bled...again. Repeating the same process as before just with more irritation and impending scar tissue.

This is how I currently feel. Like a band aid was ripped off of an area in my life that had been healing, slowly but steadily, and because that which was no longer necessary was not removed with care, it feels more severe than the original slicing, leaving me and it, more jaded now than before.There is one issue that stands out to me. 

Why was the scab attached to its temporary covering?

Well I have a few ideas. There could have been a defect with the part of the band aid that directly comes into contact with the wound. If the proper sealant was not on the gauze like area, it is very easy for the fibers to grow into the wound and cause an unnatural attachment. Also, the band aid could have been improperly placed, putting the adhesive arm of the sticky covering directly on wound. which, in turn, both could cause some issues if not handled properly. How do we avoid such situations, you ask? There needs to be something between the wound and the covering. An anti-infective. This keeps infection at bay, occasionally numbs the pain and will keep the wound protected even when the temporary covering is removed, be it spontaneous or delayed. So outside of Band Aid talk, what are we using as our Anti-Infective if at all? Are we solely depending on what only covers the surface or are we concerned with what also penetrates the wound? What can heal from the inside out, give you relief from the pain and discomfort from the wound and destroy all unseen infectives before it becomes infection? We all already know what I am going to say.

Jesus.

He alone should be the first we go to when we get wounded. The first we allow to let into direct contact with what is ailing us. The first we cry our tears to and ask to treat our boo-boo. Whether it be a skinned knee or a shanked heart, he is the only one that can treat beyond the surface and protect us from grappling at what will only remain temporary, for the only sure thing in this life is the love of Christ and that he will never leave us and will always take care of us. No matter how bloody, large or infected our wounds may get, God will clean, suture and mend what is broken.

    

           So I’m sitting up typing this because I can’t sleep. Why can’t I sleep? Because the term they’re "only human” is making a mockery of my emotions. What exactly is this supposed to mean or do? Did some guilty party create it in the hopes of equalizing any rampant emotions of the one who received the fault? Is it a bible verse and I just happened to skip over the part where Adam made a point to remind God he was only human and that’s why he ate the apple, pear or whatever it was? Or is it to make sure you realize and never forget that you too are just as imperfect as the one who scarred you? That you need to remember the last time you hurt someone so you won’t be as mad as if you negated doing so? When is it a bad time to make this statement? When should we pause, listen and maybe just say “You know what? That sucks.” Lets try a few, shall we?


a. “They stepped on my foot!” Oh, they’re only human.


b. “I can’t believe they threw that glass across the room!” Now, now… everyone gets angry. We’re only human.


c. “My wife says she’s been seeing another man for the last six months and wants to leave me.” Really? That’s too bad. It happens to the best of us. Well you know, she’s only human.

       Did you notice any that seem like this particular statement wouldn’t be the best to quote? Granted these are the least to the greatest extremes but hopefully you catch my drift. So, what do I think about all of this? I think it goes both ways. I feel we should never forget that we are all faulty, fragile, imperfect people that make tons of mistakes and bad choices to those we love and to strangers, whether purposed or not. We need to have grace and patience when learning together and growing on this sinfully rambunctious round thing we live on called Earth.

         I am fully aware of how easy it is for me to be the person that offends or scars someone’s heart and all I can do is repent to that person and if they choose to forgive me, move forward with or without the relationship. Now what I can’t do is assume that just because they realize I am made out of the same flesh they are and we are all equally flawed, that their emotions will normalize once the words “I’m sorry” are spoken.

          Granted, sometimes things are very easily restored once there has been proper acknowledgement, what ever that looks like for those persons, but more often than not, depending on the severity of the issue and how deeply it’s wounded the heart, you don’t want to hear that. It only makes what you feel invalid and ridiculous. You’re hurt but you shouldn’t be because you’ve hurt people too. You’re sad but don’t be as sad because you’ve made people sad too.

        Sometimes the more I think about things, the more I can’t wrap my brain around it and in that moment, if I am trying to hash it out with you (friend or assumed foe), be open and figure out why I feel a certain way or that I feel a certain emotion, or even just to have a place where it’s safe to unwrap the bandages around my heart, please, please don’t tell me that the one that hurt me, be it now or in the future, is “ONLY HUMAN.”