Another Lesson From a Missing Left Hand - Scary Blisters!

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I lost my left hand when I was nine years old while playing Tarzan in the back yard. From that experience, I have learned many valuable lessons. Here's another one:

Not long after I lost my hand, as my arm was beginning to heal, I began to develop some pretty ugly blisters on the end of my stump. They were painful and gross. My parents and I didn't really know what to do with it, so we just kept the dressings on my arm clean and I regularly soaked in a hot bath.

One evening as I was bathing, one of those blisters opened up. What happened? A bone splinter began to work its way out of my arm - GROSS! Needless to say, at nine years old I was freaking out! My parents were concerned and it wasn't long before the doctor was called.

"Mark's body is healing." the doctor said. What? Healing? I have pieces of bone coming out of the end of my arm! Can't you make this stop!

When my hand was amputated, the place where the bone was cut left frayed areas, much like what happens when you saw a 2x4 in half. Those areas had worked their way lose and were now working their way out.

The doctor explained that my body was actually healing and that over the next several weeks I would have similar experiences but it would eventually stop. He was right! It did happen several more times and it did stop.

So what's the lesson from a missing left hand?

The stuff that we have kept buried deep in us, at times tries to work its way out. It is usually scary and gross and all we want to do is stop it. Many times were are successful at stuffing it back down. That success at stuffing isn't success at life, though!

The stuff is surfacing for a reason. I think most of the time God is trying to free us of unnecessary junk, memories, wounds and pain. It is never pleasant. It always hurts, but it almost always passes.

Sometimes we need assistance getting the stuff out. Other times we just need encouragement that we aren't sick but getting well.

Instead of trying to stuff the stuff that is working its way out in your life, scary blisters and all, open yourself up to the healing process of opening up, airing out and removing the painful stuff of your past. You will be better for it!

Let me know if I can help.