LITTLE SLICES

Paper cuts can be so annoying. Especially, if when they happen to some part of your finger you have to use constantly such as with me when I writing at my computer. It is always just painful enough to distract me from my concentration. And the whole time I’ll keep thinking to myself “how long before this thing stops hurting.”

But there are other kinds of cuts that produce similar feelings or pain. Only they don’t always happen to the body. They can happen to the soul.

I found it difficult at times to truly come to terms with why it is so easier to find a church or pastor who specializes in preaching against sin than to find one that focuses on healing and encouragement. Now I’m sure such churches exists and if you attend one, then I envy you and praise God that such a ministry does exist.

The reality to me is that you can have any place where humans gather and have it be perfect. And if it has a spiritual purpose then one knows Satan will do his best to make sure it is a dysfunctional as possible.

It just seems that to that degree that it leaves such situations open to so many cases of little slices. Those are too me those situations where they cut into your mood or peace in a small way. And it can be as simple as a unkind word to being treated unfairly or a wide variety of the situations.

What I think is sad is because these are often something that happens that isn’t a major or obvious incident it can often be treated with indifference. Some major wrong will be easy for people to appreciate, but if you get wounded over something that only bothers you that kind of little slice may not earn the slightest degree of sympathy.

The good news is that God cares. He will listen when that hurt is bothering us. He won’t ridicule or insult in any way if we take it to him in prayer.

And the great thing is that often he can lead us to some person that has also had the same little slice in his or her own walk of faith. When we don’t limit ourselves to seeing the body of Christ as wearing a denominational hat or some other criteria it is amazing how many ways God can send us a band-aid.

The nice thing is that eventually little slices like paper cuts do heal. The bad thing is that they will most likely happen again. Hopefully though along the way we find the right spiritual medicine cabinet where the band-aids that work best for us will be kept.

I wish I could say it will always occur at some house of worship, but that isn’t the case. And the joy of that is discovery how God will answer that prayer when the house of worship where we attend doesn’t carry the band-aids we need.

Sometimes there is good that can from the bad providing we are willing to look for it. That part God grants us the right to learn providing we are willing to search.