No wonder Jesus taught in parables. Stories help us learn valuable lessons.

So the infection on my leg didn’t go away which meant that I ended up at the local urgent care yesterday afternoon. I explained to the nurse that I had tried to drain the infection on my own, but after looking at it, he was quick to tell me the doctor would have to open the wound and clean it. My attempts at performing my own “surgery” had, in fact, made the area worse.

I was taken to the surgical room where the nurse directed me to lay on the bed while he gathered supplies for the doctor. He informed me that he was going to numb the area with a shot, which implied that the opening and cleaning was going to be painful. He proceeded to insert a needle into the wounded area to inject local anesthesia. I proceeded to be a big baby by yelling and clenching my fists. After a few seconds, though, I no longer felt pain…only pressure.

The doctor then entered the room, and set about cutting into the wound. I felt only a little discomfort while he cleaned the infection from beneath my skin. He then packed the opening, and the nurse dressed the area with gauze.

He gave me a prescription for an antibiotic and a painkiller, as well as instructions to come back in two days to have the packing removed. In the meantime, I was not to submerge the wound in water. (Bummer! I am at the beach!) I asked if the doctor had removed all of the infection, and he answered that he had removed as much as possible; however, healing had to take place from the inside out, and the antibiotics would help that process.

As if I weren’t in enough pain already, I left the doctor’s office and picked up Mark and the girls from our condo, and we headed out for the promised family fun night which included riding go-karts. This was no smooth track, but an old, bumpy, wooden one. As soon as I hit the track, I knew I’d made a mistake. I ended up pressing my hand firmly against the wound to keep my leg from bouncing. The wound ended up bleeding again, blood seeping through the gauze onto my shorts. It was no smart choice on my part to subject myself to such a painful experience so soon after the cleaning process.

* * * * *

This wound is an opportunity to see a bigger picture…a learning experience, and these are a few life lessons I’ve gleaned from it so far:

• Attempting to treat my own wounds often makes them worse.
• Numbing wounds is not the equivalent of healing them. In fact, numbing often causes more pain initially, and there’s still pressure later.
• I can’t clean my own wounds…I need Someone to do it for me.
• There’s discomfort during the cleaning process.
• The emptiness must be filled for healing to take place.
• Healing must come from inside.
• Sometimes we need extra help during the healing process.
• The cleaned wound must be protected until healing is complete. Unwise choices too soon may lead to more pain.
• Sometimes the wounding/healing is visible to others. If so, it’s an opportunity to tell the story.