The Way of the Wound
Some have called this principle of going down to go up a “spirituality of imperfection” or “the way of the wound.” It has been affirmed in Christianity by St. Thérèse of Lisieux as her Little Way, by St. Francis as the way of poverty, and by Alcoholics Anonymous as the necessary First Step. Paul taught this unwelcome message with his enigmatic, “It is when I am weak that I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). Of course, in saying that, he was merely building on what he called the folly of the crucifixion of Jesus—a tragic and absurd dying that became resurrection itself. You will not know for sure that this message is true until you are on the upside. You will never imagine it to be true until you have gone through the downside yourself and come out on the other side in larger form. You must be pressured from on high, by fate, circumstance, love, or God, because nothing in you wants to believe it or wants to go through it. Falling upward is a secret of the soul, known not by thinking about it or proving it but only by risking it—at least once—and by allowing yourself to be led—at least once. Those who have allowed it know it is true, but only after the fact. + Adapted from Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life, pp. xxiv, xxvi.”
—Richard Rohr, Yes, And…: Daily Meditations
God’s Kingdom often works in reverse of our instincts—we go down to go up, we lose to gain, we become weak to be strong. Paul called it “the folly of the cross,” a path no one naturally chooses. Yet in Jesus’ death and resurrection, we see that what looks like defeat can become the doorway to life. Recovery, healing, and spiritual growth often begin the same way—with surrender, honesty, and the humbling admission that we can’t fix ourselves.
We rarely believe this truth until we’ve lived it—until we’ve walked through our own “downside” and come out the other side with a stronger, larger soul. The “way of the wound” is not learned by studying it, but by allowing ourselves to be led through it. And once we have, we can testify: God meets us in the low places and lifts us into a life we couldn’t have reached any other way. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics