The Wounded Healer

In his book, The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen describes the great illusion of Christian leadership as the idea “that man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there.” “Who can save a child from a burning house,” he asks, “without taking the risk of being hurt by the flames? Who can listen to a story of loneliness and despair without taking the risk of experiencing similar pains in his own heart and even losing his precious peace of mind? In short: Who can take away suffering without entering it?”

I am reminded that in order to bring true healing we must take great risks. Lately I have been "losing my precious piece of mind" about our investment in Rwanda. Seeing headlines in the papers talking about widespread genocide ideology in the classroom doesn't inspire confidence. There are times I worry all our efforts might be in vain. At other times, I wonder if our few "cups of water" will really make a difference, in light of all the devestation in the world. I realize my own limitations, my own inadequacies, my own woundedness.

One powerful message of the Bible is that God uses wounded and broken people to accomplish his purpose. In fact, he often requires our brokeness in order to bring healing. What I see in Rwanda today are hundreds, maybe thousands, of "wounded healers" who are allowing God to use their pain as a healing balm for others who are wounded. They are taking a great risk, a risk they must take if Rwanda will ever leave its brokenness behind.