Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” - Luke 17:19

“We are all wounded. But wounds are necessary for his healing light to enter into our beings. Without wounds and failure and frustrations and defeats, there will be no opening for his brilliance to tickle in and invade our lives. Failures in life are courses with very high tuition fees, so I don't cut classes and miss my lessons: on humility, on patience, on hope, on asking others for help, on listening to God, on trying again and again and again.”

―Bo Sanchez, You Have The Power to Create Love: Take Another Step on the Simple Path to Happiness

We all have those times that we feel down, tired, stressed, exhausted, fatigued, drained, wearied, worn-out, injured, wounded, damaged, hurt and all other synonyms you could think of. Human as we are, we all had felt those things before and will still be feeling those things once in a while as long as we live. It’s inevitable. It’s basically a human experience we all have to face occasionally.

As youth, I think all of us have experienced those down moments. Worn-out from school or work, exhausted from quizzes, exams, projects, requirements, drained from all the activities you’ve been doing, worn-out from practices, wounded from fights, from heartaches, from rejections, physically, emotionally, and mentally stressed, or even just tired of everything you’re going through.

Did you ever have those moments that you feel you’re about to break down? Lock yourself alone in the room and cry? Yung tipong, di mo na alam anong gagawin mo kundi umiyak na lang? I did! And not just once but several times. And all those times, I never cried alone. I cried talking to God. Yung bang, iyak ka lang nang iyak tapos salita ka nang salita. And even though you know that no one would answer your questions, reply to your statements, you still feel like letting all those hurts and worries out. And you know what? It actually felt good. And knowing that I was letting it all out in front of God made it even better. And after that, I can’t stop smiling kasi nakakahinga na ako nang malalim. One of those “Hay salamat!” moments.

Clichés tell us that only time heals, that laughter is the best medicine. But come to think of it, God is the ultimate healer. If we come to Him with faith, no wound will ache as much as He had died for us on the cross. Everything feels right, will feel right. Every ache, every wound will heal and though there may be scars, those are not marks of painful injuries but rather blissful memories that God was there to cure you. He had restored you in every way possible you needed to be restored.

If you ever feel like crying, do so. Crying is not a sign of weakness; sometimes it is a sign that you have been trying to be strong for too long. And that is why God is always there. Put your faith in God and He’ll give you the strength and cure you need.

Tomorrow’s readings reminds us that no matter how wounded we are – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, God is always there to help us, to heal us. ForHe is our Jehovah-Rophe, our healer, our source of any cure, our remedy, that any scars we lift up to Him with faith, He heals.

Kaya sa lahat ng may pinagdadaanan, may hinanakit, may problema, SALIG LANG!

“For I am the Lord who heals you.” (Ex 15: 26)

- Ace Saquin