Crucifixion

Wholeness

"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations." ~ C.S. Lewis

What Jesus accomplished on the cross wasn't merely a redemption from sin and death but also a resurrection to eternal life. He came that we may have abundant life!

Isaiah 61:1-3 describes Chrst's mission: The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

In short, Jesus came to free us from all disease, bondage, and brokenness. He came to make us completely whole!

Unfortunately, most of us are a work in progress. We all still carry around some degree of brokenness. The bigger problem is when we don't know it. Richard Rohr says that pain that is not transformed is transmitted. So true. As leaders aspiring to positively impact others' lives you can see how this is of paramount importance. What are we passing on?

Let's look at some illustrative examples. Mike could never please his dad. No matter how well he did in school or sports, his dad never felt it was good enough. Mike is a manager now still grappling with deep feelings of inadequacy. He is obsessed with always being perceived as a high performer to earn the recognition he never got as a child. Angela reports to Mike and makes an error in a report that embarrasses Mike in a board meeting. How do you think Mike will handle Angela's honest mistake? Or consider Susan. Susan’s mother was never affectionate or loving. She longed for her mother’s love but never got it. Susan is now a single mother and looks to her daughter to fill that love vacuum in her life. Her daughter knows it and withholds affection to emotionally blackmail her mother into getting what she wants. Do you think Susan can make decisions in the best interest of her daughter? Or what about Pastor Josh who was abused by his mother as a child? Now he is verbally abusive to any women in his church who are 'too outspoken'.

We all have some degree of trauma and we all need to diligently pursue inner healing for our sake and the sake of those we affect (including generations to come). However, what do we do while we are in process? The worst position to be in is ignorant of our brokenness or unwilling to deal with it. In this state, we cannot effectively lead. We will likely do more harm than good. However, assuming we are aware and pursuing healing, then there is hope:

• While In Process - We can walk with others who share the same wound with empathy but should excuse ourselves from situations and responsibilities where we may not act in the best interest of others. We can also point people to others who can help.
• When We Are Healed - We can walk with others who share the same wound with empathy, as well as impart grace and hope to assist in their healing process. We are able to act in the best interest of others even in situations resembling our past trauma.

As kingdom leaders pursuing wholeness is not optional. Whatever is in us, is what we will manifest around us. What we do not transform in Christ will be transmitted. We need to sharpen our emotional intelligence, press into forgiveness of all who have wronged us, allow God to minister to our souls in worship and prayer time, and get help from professionals and our church community where we are stuck.

Journal with Holy Spirit: Think of times in the past few months when you have experienced strong emotions. What do you think is causing you to react this way?