Monday, May 28, 2007

Williams on hurt and healing

If we believe we can experience our healing without deepening our hurt, we have understood nothing of the roots of our faith.

- Rowan Williams, The Wound of Knowledge (Cowley: 1990), 30.

Healing requires a deepening of hurt because the problem is worse than we think. Telling the truth of the depth of our need is painful, but necessary for our healing.

8 comments:

michael jensen said...

A message for the whole communion, too, isn't it?

David Entwistle said...

Blessed are those who mourn...

psychodougie said...

indeed, it's only when the problem hurts so much that the continuing of it would hurt more than the solution that we even seek healing.

that is, when a problem exists, you can minimise it, explain it away and justify it only for so long; recognising the enormity of a problem is the necessary first step before seeking healing.

(i don't think this is as straightforward as it may at first sound. i think.)

PamBG said...

Thank you for that. Much to think about.

Jill said...

As Christians we seem sometimes to be too eager to tell someone who's hurting that 'God always works for the good of those who love him', rather than simply mourning with them.

Benjamin Ady said...

you nailed it

Anthony Douglas said...

His analysis seems to overlook something enormously significant to the process of healing...

The ITCHING!

(As the current owner of a few stitches, I had to get that off my chest, as it were)

Justin said...

THanks Byron for that quote. I make a similar comment in my coming series on John 16. This a good quote.