Resource Description
Why Missionaries Need to Know Their Own Wounds
“This process allows us to go out into the world as wounded healers,
not as invincible saviors.
We enter into difficult contexts as people who have known what it is to suffer,
and therefore offer our wounded selves
and in doing so receive the wounded other back as a reflection of our own self.”
— Ryan Kuja
The very pain and wounds that we try to flee from or bury may actually be the strongest assets that God has gifted us with as He asks us to walk with Him and as He sends us out to be a blessing to others. Do we know our wounds? Do we share our stories? Do we comfort others with the comfort with which we’ve been comforted?
Instructions:
1. Carefully read Ryan Kuja’s blog post “Why Missionaries Need to Know Their Own Wounds.”
2. Use the questions at the end of the article for your personal reflection. We’ve modified them slightly here and made some additions:
- Are there difficult parts of your own story that may still need tending to, either personally or in the context of therapy and/or spiritual direction?
- Are there experiences in your past – distant or more recent – that have simply been too painful to process fully?
- Have you been aware of how God is redeeming and transforming your suffering?
- There can also be deep hurts inflicted by others that continue to affect us today. Is there any unforgiveness that God is bringing to mind?
- In what ways has your own story shaped the ways that you engage in your ministry overseas?
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