Three-Peat Thursdays
Welcome to my new Three-Peat Thursdays! Building from my recent book UNBEATABLE! Seven Pillars of Personal Excellence, each blog will contain three P’s: Pillar, Principle and Practical, all geared towards nourishing you on your personal and spiritual growth journey.
Pillar
“Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts”-The Proverbs of Solomon
Principle
What is it about pain that is so inevitable yet so crucial to character growth? Pain stings. It produces tears. It walks hand in hand with grief. It pops up at the most inopportune times. Yet, we cannot mature without it.
In the above cited Old Testament Proverb, the wisdom writer speaks about wounds that purify us from the things that are evil. These wounds were caused by blows, which, in context, seem to be referring to some form of external discipline, challenge or difficulty. The result, though, is the cleansing of the innermost parts–those deeper places within our souls that seem invisible and unreachable.
Recently, in my home country Trinidad and Tobago, national elections were held in which the sitting Government had its majority reduced but it still was enough to win at the polls. There was no immediate concession of defeat by the opposition leader which led one political analyst to say that “a wounded animal is the worst.” There’s wisdom in that observation. Wounds cause a reaction, whether positive or negative. They get our attention. We cannot ignore them.
Have you been wounded recently? Did someone say something to you that was true, but piercing? Did life hit you an unexpectedly blow? If yes, while you heal, pay attention to the life lesson that is right before you. I am grateful for some recent conversations with godly men in my life that helped me to see undetected pride in my heart and defensiveness in my spirit, both caused by fear, anxiety and personal ego. Their observations stung me. However, once I grow from this, my innermost parts will be well on the way to being cleansed and that’s a good thing.
Practical
The next wound that comes your way is poised to do some purifying work on your inner person. Welcome it without complaining.
To learn more about these pillars of personal excellence, read UNBEATABLE! which is now available on Amazon in print and as an e-book.
This Post Has 2 Comments
Thank you. Pain does hurt and growing from it can seem to be so difficult at times, but the reassurance that once you trust in God that he would bring you through gives me hope and strength to bare the pain.
Thank you Shawn. Your hope is well placed. God’s grace and strength often shine brightly when we are wounded.