Knowing she would be my counselor in prosperity, my comfort in cares and sorrows.
– Wisdom 8:9
Reading and reflecting.
Read chapter 4, “Leaf by leaf by leaf,” from The Star in My Heart by Joyce Rupp. As you read, think about the questions below.
Joyce Rupp uses the image of a cottonwood tree dropping its leaves to explore how we heal from our emotional and psychological wounds. Our culture teaches us that immediate healing is the goal. After all, we can take an aspirin when we have a headache and expect it to be gone in 30 minutes. But what do we take when our heart has been broken and betrayed? As the leaves slowly drop from that cottonwood, it can be very discouraging to think that healing may take a very long time. Sometimes we don’t know how deep our wounds are and can’t understand “Why haven’t I gotten over this?”
Question to Consider: How do you give yourself over to the journey of healing?
Rupp attributes four characteristics to Sophia in our healing process:
- – She gives us the strength to go through whatever is necessary for healing.
- – She is there to give comfort as we face our pain.
- – She leads us to greater wisdom – she helps us to see that our wounds can bless us with wisdom.
- – She is our touch of hope when we are healing.
Are there other characteristics you would add? Is one more important to you than the others?
The cottonwood tree loses its leaves one at a time; likewise healing is a slow process.
What other images comes to your mind as you think about your healing from emotional wounds?
With what negative feelings do you need to make peace so you can let them fall away?
Scripture for the week:
At the Pool of Bethesda (John 5: 2-8), Jesus saw a man lying there and realized that he had spent a long time in this condition. Jesus asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I m on my way, someone else goes in before me.”
Then Jesus told him, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.”
Read the above scripture from John a few times in different translations if possible. Are there any words or phrases that resonate with you in your own healing process? Why do you think Jesus told the man to pick up his mat, as opposed to leaving it by the pool of water?
Closing Prayer
“Peeling Off Another Layer”
by Joyce Rupp
from Prayers to Sophia, prayer 35, page 76-77
https://wisdomyearsorg.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/peeling-off-another-layer-joyce-rupp1.pdf
Practices this week
Read the four “wisdoms from Sophia” that Rupp mentions on page 57. Choose one a day to carry with you and ponder this week.
The Wisdom Years 