September 14 – Wounds and Transformation
We all have childhood wounds. If we don’t heal and transform our wounds, we will wound others. Wounded people wound others. If we don’t transform our pain, we will transmit it. Richard Rohr
Gregg’s Reflection
Richard Rohr has said, “If we do not transform our pain, we will most assuredly transmit it.” That truth has rung deeply in my own life.
My father had deep wounds from growing up without a mother or father and serving in World War II. Yet, like most in his generation, he had no way to process his emotional pain, so he buried it. His temper was legendary. He transmitted his pain to generations.
Times when I refused to face grief, anger, or shame were also the times I found myself reacting harshly, projecting my hurt onto others. But when I have dared to bring my wounds into God’s light — through prayer, therapy, and community — something begins to shift. Pain doesn’t vanish overnight, but it becomes the very place where compassion grows. The scar can remain, yet it becomes a reminder of grace rather than a hidden infection.
The gospel shows us a Savior who kept his wounds visible even in resurrection. They were no longer sources of death, but signs of love and new life. So too, our healing can make our wounds sources of empathy, strength, and hope for others.
Scripture
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3
For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 30:17
Ancient Quotes
The one who has been wounded and healed by the Lord can bring healing to others. The medicine they have received becomes medicine for the world.
Origen, Commentary on the Psalms
Modern Quotes
We all have childhood wounds. If we don’t heal and transform our wounds, we will wound others. Wounded people wound others. If we don’t transform our pain, we will transmit it.
Richard Rohr
We’re in the presence of a good story when the flaw that shatters shalom is also the doorway to redemption.
Dan Allender, To Be Told
Journaling Prompts
- What wound in your life continues to shape how you relate to others?
- Where have you seen your unhealed pain spill over into your relationships?
- How might God be inviting you to bring your wounds into the light for healing?
- What scar in your story could become a gift for someone else’s journey?
Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 37 Reflection: Psycho/Spiritual Work