The 'Splinter Effect': Wounds, Pain & Healing

Splinters seem irrationally painful. Something so small causes us so much pain. 

 

A splinter is a source of pain in our life. This splinter could be a bad relationship, work situation, or an event in our past. It is something that has made its way into our life and is continually causing pain, not allowing us to heal.

 

Removing a splinter is not easy. Being small, it requires precision and likely tweezers of some kind to remove. Usually, if we have allowed a splinter to stay in our life for an extended period, it's because we don't know how to remove it or we are unwilling to do so. Our unwillingness may stem from fear, pride, or shame.

 

Once we are able to remove the splinter we have made a huge step towards recovery. Our wound cannot heal when the source of it is still there.

 

Two beautiful things happen when we remove the splinters of our lives.

 

First, we can see the wound, or in other words, the gap that has been left in us. I recently decided to shut down our marketing company. It left several splinters in me and by removing it, I saw the gaps in myself, my marriage and my relationship with God. It wasn't until I let it go, was I able to see this.

 

Second, we can begin to heal. Healing takes time and is best done with others. At first we may be ultra sensitive, but as we heal we are able to handle more. By walking away from our company, I have been able to work through issues I never knew I had.

 

Once we have healed we may have a scar, but it can serve as a reminder of the growth we experienced through the pain and healing we received. 

 

Unfortunately, we will all experience these splinters in our lives. What matters most is how we decide to respond.