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Causing Pain for Healing

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For those that are not friends with me on Facebook, our visit to CHOP yesterday included cultures of the wound and new twice-daily cleaning and debriding procedures.  Since we live in a rural area with limited access to home nursing resources, this lovely job will fall on me.  Every morning and evening, I have to remove the bandage, wash the wound with soap and water that stings, and then dig out any infected tissue using sterilized scissors, tweezers, gauze, and applicators. 

This is a painful procedure that Abby naturally hates, and her screams and cries break my heart every time.  I feel awful for having to hurt her.  But by stripping her body of the infected tissue on the outside of the wound, she can heal from the inside out.  I have to cause immense pain in order to help my daughter to finally be rid of the infection that has caused her so many hospital stays and surgeries.  What a hard thing to put a six-year-old child through.

But then I started thinking that this is what God has to do with us in order to help us grow and thrive as well.  He is digging out the ugliness, pride, anger, sinfulness, and unclean thoughts in order to help us to heal from the inside out.  We scream and cry as we face challenging situations, and I'm sure God cringes and sheds tears just like I do when I cause Abby pain, but He knows it is for our own good.  

And in the end, when the wound is healed and the pain is gone, we will know that it was for the best.

So for those of you whose wounds are metaphorically being dug out and debrided right now, hold firm to your faith.  God isn't done yet.


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Keba said…
Beautiful reminder. Thanks, Julie.
April 27, 2017 at 1:29 PM
Amy Cantilina said…
Amen! Beautifully said!
April 28, 2017 at 8:37 AM
Renae Winkler said…
Did they give you lidocaine patches to use before debriding? My husband had to go to a wound care center when a wound would not heal. The nurse put a patch on his leg to numb the wound before the doctor began debriding.
April 29, 2017 at 12:53 AM
Unknown said…
Amazing testament. Thank you for the message, but mostly thank you for the care you are taking of your sweet Abby!
April 29, 2017 at 10:32 AM
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