The Paradox of Life

There was a man with a very deep wound in his chest. He had this wound ever since he was born. It is so painful and gets worse day by day but he doesn’t know how to cure it.

He tried to cover this wound by wearing a thick sweater called “Money”. He went out to meet his friend “Business” and tried to act as if nothing was wrong with him. After that a man called “Relatives” came to him noticing his sweater and started to treat him really well. These people kept on praising his sweater saying how beautiful it is and how it looked expensive but sadly no one noticed the pain in his face caused by the wound.

He was happy that no one saw his wound but deep in his heart he was hoping that somebody would see it and maybe tell him the cure for it.

Days have passed and the wound started to spread in his whole chest reaching until his belly. He panicked so he wore a jacket called “Power and Authority” trying to hide the wound. He was scared that people might maligned him and take advantage of him if they will know about his wound. After wearing the jacket, he went out as usual and he noticed that people bowed to him with fear when they saw his jacket. There are also others who followed him in his back wanting to get the same attention he is getting. Despite of the pain, he is happy because of the superior feeling he felt while wearing the jacket. He enjoyed it for a while but he suddenly felt extreme pain so he went home and saw that the wound got worse.

It has now spread to his arms until his fingers. To hide it, he took the gloves called “Greed” and cover the wounds with it. Using this gloves, he took whatever he wanted to satisfy his needs. It was fun at first but just like the sweater and the jacket and it did not cure his wound but instead made it worse.

He knows that the pain is devouring him, slowly taking his life. He knew he needed to do something instead of just covering it. He opened his cabinet and saw a bottle of liquid called “Lust and Vices”. He took some and it immediately brought comfort to him. It relieved the pain that he is feeling so he continued with his life thinking that this is the answer to his problem.

After some time, he felt thirsty so he took another bottle and drank it. After drinking, he felt the comfort but it did not last long. He became thirstier compared to the first time drinking it. He drank and drank and drank until one day he felt that he could no longer live without it. It affected his life and made it worse than before. He realized that he needed to stop but he couldn’t. He opened his cabinet once again and saw the tablets called “Family and Friends”. He took the tablets and it lessens the pain and the thirst but the wound remained the same.

He doesn’t know what to do anymore. He wants to be free from this wound and its pain and live a normal life. He wants to find the true happiness that he never felt in his entire life. Out of his desperation he went outside to search for it but only finding himself surrounded by so many people. No one is looking at him. It’s the loneliest feeling - finding the world keeps on spinning but he is stuck in one place. To have everybody look at him and say “What is the matter with him?” with a mixture of judgment, disgust and indifference. He saw shutters closed, blinds drawn and doors locked against him. Now he is not sure whether he is walking toward something. He realized that loneliness is not being alone, it is the feeling that no one cares.

Now he felt so tired, he looked at himself and saw that the wound is now covering his whole body. He entered the alley of “Depression” and rested there. He saw a blanket called “Despair” and covered his whole body with it. He now lost all the hope he has left to be cure. He is just waiting for his death when he saw someone entered the alley. He immediately hid himself fearing that his wounds will be exposed. He felt the man in front of him. He looked up and saw his smiling face. He looked away feeling ashamed of his condition. Then the stranger showed him his chest and there he saw the same wound that he has but it looked different because it is healed. Then the man extended his hand towards him and said,

“Hi I am Christian. Come, I know someone who can cure your wound.”

He felt the tears running down his cheeks, “Can I really be cure? Please bring me to him!” the man pleaded.

“Follow me!” Christian said. The man followed him still covering himself with the blanket and went inside a building that looked like a hospital. This building is called “Church”. When he went inside he was shocked because he saw that there are so many people like him who is suffering from the same wound.

They went inside a room and saw someone sitting behind the table. Christian said that he is called the “Healer”.

When he saw the healer, he felt very embarrassed because the man looked so perfect and flawless. Christian left the room leaving him and the healer alone.

Then he heard the healer said, “What do you want me to do for you?”

“I want to be healed!” the man said.

“Do you believe that I can heal you?” the healer asked.

“Yes, I saw that man who brought me here was healed and he told me that you were the one who healed him.” the man said”.

Then the healer instructed him to remove what was covering him. The man was hesitant because he doesn’t want other people to see his wound. He has been keeping this wound hidden in his whole life.

Then the healer said to him, “The only way for you to be healed is for you to exposed your wound.”

Then the man took all the courage he has and started to slowly remove all the things that are covering his wound. He removed the blanket of “Despair” then the jacket of “Power and Authority” and then the sweater named “Money”. As he started to remove all this, he felt light and less burdened. But he also felt the pain more and more. He now has a little doubt if by removing these things will cure him because it doubled the pain he was feeling.

Then the healer told him “It is normal to feel the pain. It is a part of healing.”

He touched the man’s wound and it caused him the most painful feeling he has ever felt.

Then the healer said, “Healing is not an overnight process; it is a daily cleansing of pain, it is a daily healing of your life. You have to come to me every day for it to be healed.”

The man looked at his wounds and was amazed seeing how the wound started to heal. The man felt so grateful as he looked up to the healer with tears in his eyes.

“Yes, I am willing.”

You might be wondering about the name of this man. Well, he has a name and he is called… “Me”.

To the one reading this, I hope you will remember that the pain of recovery is sometimes worse than the pain of injury. Take the courage to acknowledge your pain and weakness and allow Jesus Christ to heal your soul.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:5