"Our pain-filled society also suffers because many Christians misrepresent God and hid His image. Sometimes the church focuses on the judgment and wrath of God and forgets about the love and forgiveness given by Him through Christ. Another misrepresentation of God is a lack of distinction between woundedness and sin. the wounds we sustained while growing up in a dysfunctional home were beyond our control and not a direct result of our own actions, but we often felt guilty anyway. On the other hand, sin is a willful act for which one is accountable and for which it is appropriate to feel guilty. Understanding the difference between woundedness and sin is extremely important for adult children because of the severe wounds inflicted upon us.
The church has often mistakenly presented all problems as sin and been self-righteous and judgmental about sinners. Consideration is not always given to roundedness as a reason for our problems. The church has often portrayed God as vengeful and angry, wanting to punish us rather than show us the love and forgiveness that are ours because Christ died on the cross for our sins.
It is important to understand that our behavior is not the only basis for our pain. the wounds we have suffered also cause pain and they must be healed in order for us to achieve wholeness. The lack of distinction between woundedness and sin has led many Christians to believe that "turning from sin" is the solution to recovery. This is simply not true, either from a therapeutic or from a biblical standpoint. We also need to heal our wounds and change our thinking about how to react to people and events."
This is very challenging to me… God is calling His people to proclaim peace to those who have been hurt or are suffering, and to help bind up their wounds. If you immediately start talking about someones sin without listening to their life story, you can end up giving them another gaping wound.
