Living with Wounds like Mater the Tow-Truck…

There have been occasions when it has felt as though every time I picked up my youngest son from school he stumbled out of class clutching a piece of paper. A sticker on his chest brazenly claimed,

“Today I bumped my head”.

I’m then given all the gory details of how his most recent injury occurred. J seems to be constantly covered in bruises, with each bath-time revealing yet another wound, mark or newly formed scab. Amidst the scrapes and scratches one of my greatest roles as a mum is comforting my beautiful little wounded boy.

My eldest son on the other hand doesn’t get playground bumps and scratches on his legs. His skin is predominantly smooth with a splattering of a different type of wound, those inflicted by a medical professionals. The absence of wounds, however, isn’t ‘normal’ but rather suggests that he is missing out on adventures enjoyed by his younger brother.

I think throughout my life I have expected God to prevent my wounds.

I have wanted him to stop things from happening to me, rather than comforting me when they do. In the same way, my youngest son has shunned my comfort, becoming angry with me for ‘allowing’ him to fall off his bike again. I’ve shouted at God, “Why did you let this happen? Where were you?”

Now I see my wounds as an important part of me. I don’t celebrate pain or injury but I recognise they are aspects of life. They can make me bitter or broken, determined or improved.

After Jesus death his friend Thomas identified him by the wounds on his hands and his feet. While the iconic Mater from Cars positively cherishes his bumps. When offered by Holley Shiftwell (the sporty British Spy) to have his dents fixed he adamantly declines…

Mater: Oh, for a second there I thought you was trying to fix my dents.
Holley Shiftwell: Yes, I was.
Mater: Well then, no thank you. I don’t get them dents buffed, pulled, filled or painted by nobody. They’re way too valuble.
Holley Shiftwell: Your dents are valuble? Really?
Mater: I come by each one of ’em with my best friend Lightning McQueen. I don’t fix these. I wanna remember these dents forever.

My wounds are part of me

They have moulded me into the woman I am today. The scrapes and bruises I have suffered show I am experiencing life’s adventures, for better and worse. They shape me, hurt me and give me markers for the journey so far.

We have just come back from the beach where I was reminded that the individuality and beauty of the pebbles come from them spending years being bashed about by the waves. Wounds are inevitable and with each one I can choose to look for someone to blame or live in the hope that when I embrace my dents they have the potential to refine and enhance me.

Please comment and share lessons you have learnt this summer holidays that may inspire others?

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