A Restorer of Paths to Dwell In

     "And you shall be called, 'The restorer of paths to dwell in.'  This is God's promise to those who follow Him.  The path toward emotional healing is sometimes difficult to find...and there are not that many people out there who are true 'restorers'.  I suppose that is because we misunderstand the ministry of Jesus and fail to follow His example.  When someone is hurting it is uncomfortable.  We may want to 'fix' it, but we just don't know how.   

     Looking unto Jesus we find that the way that He dealt with people nearly always cut to the quick.  It was almost like He wanted to hear their story, and to care about their pain.  In fact, this is what was prophesied of Him..."A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory."  Jesus wants us to have victory in our lives and He is not one to wound the wounded, but always brings healing to those who affirmatively answer his probing question, "Wilt thou be made whole?" 

     I like to think of those 'paths' that Jesus wants for us to dwell in to be the neurological paths of our minds.  The  Bible says, "But be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind."  For many people there are things that keep this transformation from taking place.  Often, it is in the form of abuse---physical, sexual, emotional or spiritual.  

     I was talking with my brother on the phone earlier this evening.  He is currently visiting in the country of Nepal.  He was telling me about people in that country who believe that they are of a caste who don't have a right not to be beaten.  In other words, the social system they live in has ingrained in their minds that they are so low that others who are above them have the right to inflict bodily harm to them.  My brother is a soft-hearted individual and it is really difficult for him to watch others be mistreated and even more painful to him to think that some people truly believe that they deserve poor treatment.  But this is the nature of the world in which we live.
     How is it possible to change those pathways of the mind and 'renew' our minds bringing about transformation?  The human brain actually has three parts, the cortex (marked in blue), the lymbic system (red) and the brain stem (green).  The lymbic system is the emotional center of the brain.  It is like the emotional clearing house for all incoming stimuli.  When we get hurt emotionally, the emotional pain can become lodged there for a lifetime.  One of the reasons psychologists use talk therapy in helping people overcome the pain of their past is because language is created in the cortex.  Although the emotional part of the brain understands language, it cannot produce it.  That is why many times when we begin to talk about the things that hurt so deeply, the tears flow freely.  Unfortunately, we have been conditioned to think that tears are something to hide, something to pass tissue for....'Here, wipe that away!'  But we are rarely willing to share the tissue box with another---I mean, we will give it to them, but we don't often take every other tissue as they describe their pain to wipe the tears from our own eyes. 
     The path to emotional freedom is best walked hand in hand with another who really cares.  For me it was Catherine and Jack who were willing to take my hand and without crushing this bruised reed were able to lead me to judgment and victory.  I still struggle.  But I know that Jesus is beside me ready to tell me my story and rewrite the ending with glorious hope.  You are writing your story every day too.  Why not become a restorer of paths to dwell in,  by walking through someone's pain with them? 

~Cindy Lou Bailey

Inspired by Heart to Heart with Holley