Yesterday I had a minor surgery to remove a rather large cyst from my back. I was sent home with instructions for care of my back until time to have the stitches removed. The instructions covered things like bathing, what to do if I should experience heavy bleeding, and care of "the wound".
That is what the sheet called the place where the doctor made an incision, removed the problematic cyst and sewed me back together - a wound. I immediately thought of a proverb, Proverb 27:6 to be exact. The first part of the verse says, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend . . ." (NKJV). The NIV translates it, "Wounds from a friend can be trusted . . ." Sometimes, in an earnest effort to help someone, we must hurt them. We can even say we wounded them as the doctor did about his minor surgery. It is a wound to be dressed and properly cared for. It is certainly not a wound as I typically think of wounds.
I think of a wound being something that happened either by an accident or at the hands of an adversary. Dr. Monks was no adversary and neither was his action accidental. On purpose, he wounded me. He wounded me to heal me.
Now, he did his best to minimize the pain of his service. He deadened the area before he started cutting me open. He suggested I take Extra-strength Tylenol for pain and discomfort after the initial anesthetic wore off. Last night I took a couple of the Tylenol tablets because of substantial discomfort. Today I have felt the discomfort but am being a tough guy and not taking anything for it. I'm fine.
This situation is a great illustration of the proverb. Friends sometimes have to wound us to help us. We sometimes have to wound our friends to help them. Such wounds are not meant to harm but to help. May we have the sanity to see the help through the hurt when we are wounded by a friend. May we have the good fortune and the sanity to only wound as a friend.
