Isaiah 1:5

…Your head is injured, and your heart is sick.

Boy, do I love this verse!

Before I ever gave my heart to Him, He never REALLY saw me as the vile creature I truly was, but instead, saw me as injured.

Now, as a brain injury survivor, I totally get what it means to have an injured mind! Your brain doesn’t work the same way it used to.

You may forget large portions of time, may react in over-the-top kinds of ways to certain situations, and might not completely comprehend what is simple for someone else to understand.

But you really CAN’T get mad at the person, can you? I mean, it’s not THEIR fault.

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Do you see that????

GOD’S been giving us grace from the very beginning!!!!

Yes, we were/are all wicked and evil, and there are moments when He calls us just that.

But there are so many more examples of Him using words like this when describing His rebellious kids:

Wandering.

Lost.

Injured.

Weak.

Sick.

These are words that convey a sense of COMPASSION!

I’m not saying God doesn’t HATE sin, because I know that He does.

But He DOES love us.

But that’s not all!!!

What do you think our world, our cities, our schools, our churches, our homes, our marriages, would look like if this is how we saw one another when someone offends or hurts us???

“I’m sure he didn’t mean that. His head is injured, and his heart is sick. ”

Doesn’t it shift your focus, be it ever so slightly, from anger….

To LOVE ?

Anyway, this is my challenge. To pray for those who hurt me, using these words.

Because I’ve been injured and sick, too.