The Shortcomings of Denying Wounds to Fake Peace and Building Community According to the Flesh
By Dr. Jim Wilder and Ed Khouri
(Part 6 of 10 from the article, “Through the Eyes of Heaven: Does ‘Talking It Through to Find Peace’ bring Shalom?”)
Hurt and wounding is destructive. Such experiences fester within us. That is why it is blatant stupidity to deny or try to toss away wounds by claiming they didn't happen, weren't so bad, didn't hurt, or any other method of denying the natural world. Denial exposes an "it was only a flesh wound" attitude. What happened in the natural world happened and hurt. Sometimes the pain is increased by our own misperceptions. Peace about pain and wounds comes as we lucidly look into the spiritual world. The perspective of the spiritual world cannot be imagined or invented by talking through what hurts.
A word for Voluntarists: much Evangelical teaching has been shaped by the idea that the human will is the center of all spiritual activities and changes. Thus "better choices" become the solution that Evangelicals are willing to hear most often for anything upsetting. However, trying to appropriate peace, grace, truth, and grow spiritual community by making better choices alone makes little progress when our souls are aching. A better choice is to seek the eyes of heaven.
Seeing others according to the flesh builds spiritual community
“Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world. So consider carefully how Jesus faced such intense opposition from sinners who opposed their own souls, so that you won't become worn down and cave in under life's pressures” (Rom 12:2-3 TPT).
Sharing our painful history as seen by our natural eyes and reactions reveals the weaknesses of our flesh. Therapy groups share in these wounds and weaknesses to help people develop self-awareness, compassion, empathy, and provide minor upgrades in our natural identities. Therapy is not without value. Yet, we are left to ask why Scripture essentially forbids this approach as the way to build the fellowship of our eternal identities. Christians continue using the patterns of our culture to build spiritual communities. Perhaps we have not seen a more excellent way that actually works.
Can we really look into the spiritual realm and see anything that brings peace? Can we honestly exchange our distress about our wounds for peace? Can we authentically envision the new person God is creating in another and attach to them? Or will our attachments be rooted in what our earth eyes see in ourselves and others? And what happens to the physical self and brain when we look to live in the spirit?
The answer lies in the word shalom itself. Shalom peace is the harmony of all things. Paul describes shalom in the spirit this way:
Until we're all moving rhythmically and easily
with each other,
efficient and graceful
in response to God's Son,
fully mature adults,
fully developed within and without,
fully alive like Christ
(Eph 4:11-13 MSG).
Our natural brain, body, and identity were designed for shalom under the power and life in the spirit. This is something that the natural mind must learn. The patterns of this world are what is unnatural. We should not allow its distortions to define who we are or dictate the form of our interactions with others. If only we applied the viewpoint of heaven to how we approach talking it through. Then, who we really are and how we really see would become the most blessed part of our lives.
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Check back for Part 7 where we will look at the “Breaking Through the Fog” — the seventh of our series of excerpt from the article, “Through the Eyes of Heaven: Does ‘Talking It Through to Find Peace’ bring Shalom?” By Jim Wilder and Ed Khouri.
For additional information, see Resources for Creating Transformational Small Groups.