The class was on counseling, and our teacher was discussing how we will be able to relate with our future clients, and how we’ll be able to help them deal with it.

A lot of people are hurting in the world right now, whether it be obvious or not. What causes the pain in most cases are the others around them. Maybe those people did not mean to hurt someone, or maybe they did, but all the same, it leaves one broken, shattered, and in pain. Those who have been hurt in the past know what I’m talking about. These are the people who need healing more than anything.

At first, I thought healing would mean that they needed time alone for them to think about their lives and how they would be able to move on. My teacher, however, said something that was very poignant.

“The elixir is also in the poison.”

People, the very same beings who could hurt us, could also be those who could lead to our healing. The ones who are capable of holding that figurative sword to stab us with are also the ones who could hold our hands and walk with us to help us recover.

It’s such a paradox, really. I never really thought about it, but it rings true. When people get hurt, a small part of them retreats from people and lead to their having trust issues. In a way, they become scared of people. Yet individuals, who may or may not be the same ones who caused that person to be hurt, are also capable of bringing healing to the person, by their gentleness, kindness, and love. Above all these, it’s God who causes these to happen. He allows people to reach out to those in need, and to help them heal. Isaiah 61:1-3 says,

¹The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
       because the LORD has anointed me
       to preach good news to the poor.
       He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
       to proclaim freedom for the captives
       and release from darkness for the prisoners,

² to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
       and the day of vengeance of our God,
       to comfort all who mourn,

³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion.

It seems so simple, but it’s so profound at the same time. To heal, you have to allow yourself to be vulnerable. To be healed, you have to let others see your brokenness. You have to accept that change needs to happen in your life, and once you do, you have to allow healing to happen and not to hide from the world.