jakorte's blog

Bruises are interesting.
They may not hurt much at first; we might not even be aware that one is coming.
But the longer we have them and the more we revisit them by accidental bumping or rubbing, the more we become aware of them.

In their natural way, bruises bloom, move to the surface, show true colors, and serve a distinctive ache.

The good news is that bruises are very rarely permanent. They fade over time, and slip from our memory. Unless of course we repeat the injury, or keep doing the same thing - hoping for different results.

The same is true for emotional bruises. If we keep doing the same thing, we're going to find ourselves with the same results. Those bruises will keep finding their way through our egos to our skin, exposing us as perpetual victims.

Yes, victims. It's not a pleasant word, and we don't like to describe ourselves that way, do we? But allowing ourselves to be vulnerable to recurrent bruises places us in an unpleasant orb of repetitive mistakes.

Grudges are very much like bruises when someone owes us, hurts us, refuses to communicate, won't try to work it out. Holding tightly to a grudge only makes the bruising worse. Repeated bruising causes biological and emotional nerve damage. The colors of the injury may fade, but the pain may not. Ever.

I've held on to a lot of bruises for a very long time. The damage is deep.
I've decided to stop the cycle. Let it go. I'll probably be sad for an equally long time that I wasn't able to find a way to let those bruises work themselves out. Only I won't have to hope for something different now. I can expect it.

Colossians 3:13
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

In this issue: Bruises, How not to bruise an ego, Statistics That Hurt.
Now posted: Bruised?, Slidell, LA 2008
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