Remember as a kid when you would be riding your bike and you would fall off on the gravel? I learned to ride my bike in the gravel,and it wasn't always fun. I fell off my bike many times. I scraped my knees so badly, I still have scars today. I would fall into the rocks and they would dig into my knees. Once my mom had to pick them all out,while I sat crying. She would pick them all out and then put on medication,put on bandaids and they would begin to heal. If you were like me,as soon as the scab started to form ya picked it off and then it began to bleed again. Its alot like our lives,getting our hearts broken,and beginning to heal. See, God made that scab for a reason. Its there to protect that wound,and to allow it to heal from the inside out. If we pick that scab off,then we start all over again. I learned to stop picking my scabs off,and let them heal on their own. Just as now,I am learning to allow my heart to heal,and others also. It seems at times just when we think it is all healed,it breaks open again. Just when we think all is well,we can fall off that bike again and end up with new scabs over new scraps. It takes time to heal,it doesn't happen over night,and it just doesnt happen with I'm sorry. Its a long process that takes love,patience,and forgiveness of yourself. I have tried getting on the bike again too soon,too soon when the healing hasn't even started yet. Then one wrong word or action and the pain shows itself again.When we say we are sorry,are we really sorry for our actions and hurting the other person,or are we just trying to make ourselves feel better? That old saying,"If ya fall off the horse,ya get right back on",well,its not that easy. Just as riding my bike,I had to learn to ride a different way,I had to learn to steer in the right direction,and I had to learn that I was going to fall,and it was okay. Many times we think we cannot make mistakes,and we are too hard on ourselves when we do. But God knew we would fall,He knew as we learned to ride our bike we were going to have to take some painful falls before we got it right.Just as my mom picked all the rocks out and put on medication,we have to allow God to do the same within our hearts. We have to allow ourselves to grieve,to feel our pain,and be able to let go of the past. We have to put our trust in Christ,and believe He is our training wheels. He is there to guide us,teach us, and to help us grow through our pain and our trials. Just as my scabs healed,so will my heart. Yours will also if we allow time,and Christ to do His will and way with our lives. The next time you take that trail ride,and you fall off your bike and end up with skinned up knees, allow them to heal from the inside out,and allow Christ to lay His hands there for healing.
