Deep End

Emotional wounds have a way of piling up on us. They leave us overwhelmed and struggling like we are swimming in the deep end.

Initially, it feels right to stuff the emotions down and pretend they are gone. Each new wound gets pushed deep inside. After awhile, I don’t notice the extra weight from carrying it around. Time goes by and the weight of the wounds grows until I feel it on my chest every day, but I’m good at treading water. I keep on ignoring the emotions weighing me down.

A wave comes along, some unexpected stressor, and I suddenly feel like I’m drowning. My arms thrash. I gulp for air, and slowly regain my ability to tread water. I’m tired. The deep end is exhausting. I’m finally ready to accept the hand offering to pull me out.

 But me he caught—reached all the way
    from sky to sea; he pulled me out
Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos,
    the void in which I was drowning.
They hit me when I was down,
    but God stuck by me.
He stood me up on a wide-open field;
    I stood there saved—surprised to be loved! (Psalm 18:16-19 MSG).

Accepting the hand was a difficult choice. I wanted relief, but the struggle felt so normal. I knew God was showing me a way out. I knew God would bring healing. This wasn’t the first time God brought healing in my life, yet I still struggled to take the hand offered. Once I did, the relief came. The weight slowly lifted off my chest. I no longer felt like I was struggling to keep my head above water. I let go of deep wounds. God replaced the pain with love. It sounds trite but it is profoundly true.

You don’t have to live with emotional wounds. You don’t have to fear the freedom and love offered by God. It may feel foreign, but eventually it feels whole.

Are you willing to stop swimming in the deep end? Are you ready to accept the hand offered by God and move toward real healing? Share your experience here and breathe life and bring hope to others.

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