wounded healers

Here's a great excerpt from "The Rabbi's Heartbeat" by Brennan Manning:

"In love's service, only wounded soldiers can serve."

"Alcoholics Anonymous is a community of wounded healers. Psychiatrist James Knight wrote:
These persons have had their lives laid bare and pushed to the brink of destruction by alcoholism and its accompanying problems. When these persons arise from teh ashes of the hellfire and additive bondage, they have an understanding, sensitivity, and willingness to enter into and maintain healing encounters with their fellow alcoholics. In this encounter they cannot and will not permit themselves to forget their brokenness and vulnerability. Their wounds are acknowledged, accepted, and kept visible. Further, their woulnds are used to illuminate and stabilize theri own lives while they work to bring the healing of sobriety to their alcholic brothers and sisters. The effectiveness of AA's members in the care and treatment of their fellow alcoholics is one of the great success stories of our time, and graphically illustrates the power of wounds, when used creatively, to lighten the burden of pain and suffering."

Wow. What a picture of community and walking through life together during the good and the bad. Why is it that we as the church must look to Alcoholics Anonymous to see the best example of what the church should be?

I'd love to demonstrate that sort of love and healing within the relationships around me and within the relationships of Journey. I pray that God will enable that to happen - that we might become a family of wounded healers who seek to share our lives (both the good and the bad) with one another and offer healing that only Jesus can provide.