Wounds get to either SIFT you or SHAPE you.

It was that little facial expression they made that you know had a hidden meaning…
It was their hurtful response to your honest intentions to help or show up or reach out…
It was their lack of showing up when you were hurting that has caused this knot in your stomach…
It was their lack of affirmation about something you worked really hard on…
Maybe it was their apathetic tone, their aggressive handling of something, the way they excluded you from an experience, or just the aching of your heart because, well, humanity…
Whatever it is, it can be so little or so big.
And offense is that pestering acquaintance who relentlessly mentions the same thing, hoping you’ll pick it up.

But the truth? The place where your Heavenly Father yearns for you to arrive?
The place where you can FEEL the heartache, the bitterness, the frustration, the impatience,or whatever it pings within you, and you can take it to Him.
Sort it out. Yell. Hash it out with the Holy Spirit, handing Him every question your heart longs to comprehend or ask…and then let Him hold, heal, help, and handle your pain so that it doesn’t shape you.

That’s the thing about wounds—God never intended for you to not FEEL. That means you’re alive. Soft. Tender. Teachable. Sensitive to His promptings and aware of when they’re not being listened to…but wounds get to either SIFT you or SHAPE you.

Sifting means they help you get your hands in the dirt…and as you take your pain to the Protector, He prunes and prepares and reminds you of His promises. Sifting out what gets to stay and what offense needs to leave.

Shaping, on the other hand, allows the wound to become a part of you. Oftentimes, the deeper the pain, the more you feel like the pain should shape you. It was HARD. HEAVY. Unfair!!! Painful. Confusing. You feel bitter or frustrated that you had to endure it. The lives of others sparks envy in your soul and gratitude flees. This is when the wound gets the word over your life…when you forget the Waymaker uses everything + wastes nothing.

To be unoffended—what a superpower. To be able to live and love—knowing the many imperfections of the world + your own soul—that makes for a purposeful life 🤍