You Turned My Ow into Wow | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: You Turned My Ow into Wow | Previous Challenge Entry
By Lisa Keck
01/14/10
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“You changed my sorrow into dancing.” Psalm 30:11a (NCV)

“I figure if a news story brings you to tears, you should see what you can do."

That was my reaction in an e-mail about my recent activity. After seeing the story on the news, I had been traveling to a nearby town, my hometown, to help clean up after a fire at a community center that served meals to the elderly and homeless. They also had other services for the homeless. Homelessness is like a paper cut. You may not be sure how it happened but it's painful and there's not much you can do but put a band aid on it. And you can't avoid using paper. So many types of paper-- as varied as the reasons for homelessness.

I don't know about you but it makes my heart say, "Ow!" Maybe it's because it's affected my family. My brother once lived on the streets of my hometown. Maybe he even ate at the center that was now devastated by an electrical fire. It was the most helpless time of my life. There was nothing I could do for him as long as he was drinking and the drinking didn't stop. He was an alcoholic, trying to self-medicate the wound caused by our father's death.

Yes, my heart has said "ow!" many times over the years. It's healing nicely though. The wrongs done to me and the unintentional hurts have all left their scars on my heart. I will be wounded again and I will heal again. It's part of the life we have here. There are days I wish I was little again and my wounds were all on the outside. The bactine stung but only for a second. The pain of skinned knees is not remembered. But my heart remembers. It may not say "ow!" as emphatically as when first wounded but I can still see the scars.

It is from those scarred places that tears flow. Yes, they’ve been healed. In my brother’s case my sorrow has turned to dancing because he accepted Christ before he died. He’s Home now but having him in my life created a place from which I’m motivated to serve. It has been my experience that service is part of the healing—wow, it’s amazing the things and people God chooses to use.

I’m convinced the word heard most often in Heaven will be “Wow!” The beauty, the peace, the stories of the saints will all bring on this exclamation of astonishment. The pains of this world will be forgotten. Our “ows!” will turn into “wows!”

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