Day 47 Letting Go Part 1 Letting Go of Wounds

We all have pasts, but many try and hold onto their pasts in their presents. It is as if they can’t let go of them. But why is that?

Our pasts contain many happy times and memories but they also contain trauma or hardships, sadnesses, losses and regrets. Whilst we hold on to some of the good times, it is the hardest and most difficult and painful times that we find hardest to let go of because they still hurt.

It is like having an open wound on a part of our body, that has not as yet been able to heal. We can forget about it for much of the time but then suddenly someone or something inadvertently bangs into us and the pain of the wound shoots through us once more. Some wounds have been with us since childhood and yet they still are not healed. Why is that?

Because these are our deepest of wounds that were in some way inflicted in our foundational years. They need to be cleaned out, have healing oils put on them and then wrapped and kept safe and clean.

However, these wounds often become reinfected time after time after time, because when they get ripped open again, we don’t take as much care of them as we should. We don’t wash them clean, we don’t put healing salve on them and we don’t put a bandage over it to keep it as safe as it can be. Instead it becomes infected and then sore and painful and pussy. What began as something we could fix, escalates into an infected wound that we need help with.

Everyone has wounds from their pasts. Those who can’t let them go are those whose wounds become reinfected time and time again. They now need to learn how to heal those past wounds.

The best way to do that is with the ointment of great care, love, gentleness, forgiveness, patience and tolerance. If you saw a small child with a gaping wound, would you tell them to snap out of it and pull themselves together? You would not. You would be with them in their pain and try and do everything you could to help them get better. If you would do that with another, would you not too do that with yourself?

Often, others can’t see our wounds, as they are not open physical sores. They are hidden or buried within our minds, spirits or soul. It is only when we are hurting that we are alerted to something needing to be taken care of through our pain. Pain is a megaphone which wakes us up to the urgent need to take care of ourselves. Too often we try to keep going, for surely perseverance is good. But when we have deep psychological wounds, we need to do the opposite. We need to take care of that wounded child within us.

We first need to love them and hug them to ourselves and reassure them that their pain is recognised and validated. Next the wound needs to be washed clean. The best way to do that is to bring waters of truth, for truth always washes away the grit of lies and untruths caught up in the wound.

Next come healing balms. These too are truths of all that is good and wonderful about this person. It is often the core of their identity which has been damaged or harmed the most and so the truths of who they really are need to be applied.

Next must come the bandages of kindness and gentleness and loving care. Too many hope others will bring these bandages, but if they do not, then we must apply them ourselves. For if we can’t help ourselves to heal, the wounds may continue to be reopened and reinfected.

Many cannot begin to let go of the past until some of these wounds are healed. This taking care of our past hurts must be a thing of great importance. Love is always the greatest of all healing balms. The more you can love and take care of yourself or allow others to wrap you in their love, the better.

In which areas of your life is pain being the megaphone which is waking you up to an urgent need to take care of yourself?

Imagine the wounded child within you. Firstly, love them, hug them and reassure them that their pain is recognised and validated. Secondly, wash their wounds with the waters of truth, words that help to wash away the lies. Thirdly, speak over the child truths about their identity. For example, you are a precious, loved child of God, you have a future and a hope, no weapon that comes against you can harm you.

In what ways can you love and take care of yourself or allow others to wrap you in their love, whilst your wounds heal?