Band-Aids, bruises and true healing

As a father of three children, I have the privilege to view things differently. And if you have children, you know what I mean in regard to how kids see things differently than adults. They don’t care if things are messy or clean. They don’t care about schedules, money, or things that seem to matter most to adults.
Something that I realized recently is the perspective kids have on Band-aids and injuries. My daughter right now seems to think the more Band-Aids on her the better. Even if there is not an actual injury, scratch or pain, there seems to be a need for Band-Aids. Even with other kids, if they break something and need a cast on, they make sure everyone knows and signs it.
Yet, when an adult has something happen to them, we make sure we get the most skin-like colored bandage so no one knows. We make sure that if there is any kind of injury in our life that happens, we want it covered, unnoticed, and do our best to make it not as a big deal as it may actually be.
Unfortunately, this kind of thinking about pain, injuries and hurts transfers over into our relationship with God as well if we are not aware of it. Instead of being like a child and showing God our wounds and pain, we seem to think he doesn’t want anything to do with us when we are hurting. We don’t like the idea of being weak and out of control, so we think that God doesn’t want us that way either.
Thankfully his thinking is different from ours. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 51:17 tells us, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, oh God, you will not despise.” And Jesus in Matthew 9:9-12, when being questioned by the religious leaders why he hangs out with sinners and tax collectors, responded that he didn’t come for the healthy, but for the sick.
Many times in our walk with God we think that he will accept us as we are, but once we are his, we need to clean ourselves up and we are on our own.
Shouldn't we be strong enough by now to not need his help? Shouldn’t we make sure we are perfect before him? Should we clean ourselves up by now because he surely can’t love us with our Band-Aids and bruises, right?
Wrong. He is very interested in the places of hurt, pain, addiction and wounds that we don’t want him to see (even though he sees them). Jesus’ mission statement for why he came in Luke 4 was to preach to the poor, bring freedom for prisoners, sight for the blind, and to set the oppressed free. Of course after he told people this in the synagogue, they wanted to kill him. Which is usually how religious people respond when they hear that they actually need help and saving.
A religious heart, like the elder brother in the prodigal son, sees others' sins before he sees his own. He doesn’t rejoice with those who were broken and made whole, he despises them. There is a brother coming home with Band-Aids and is healed through the father’s love, and there is a brother in the field covered in Band-Aids, unwilling to show his pain and hurt.
So what do we do? How do we come to God with our brokenness, pain, hurt and injuries? Is there a formula or some confessions we need to give him to unlock a code?
No. The key is talking to him and talking to others. When we talk to him about what is actually going on and are real with him, he hears us. He knows what we need even before we ask him. He is the Father that wants to take the bandages off, the casts off, and is not scared of seeing them on us as well.
He is the healer but he also gives us a community to help us with our wounds. Christianity is not done on an island. James 5:16 tells us when we confess our sins and pray for each other there is healing that happens. But if we keep hiding our wounds, scars, and sins from each other there is no real healing. Just a pseudo community.
So if you have wounds today that you are covering up because you think that God would be mad about them, it’s time to become childlike and show God your Band-Aids and bruises.
So stop hiding in the dark and come into the light where there is life, healing and hope. It is there you will find real healing, restoration and freedom.