When Wounds Become Infections

When Wounds Become Infections

Forgiveness is the medicine that heals more than the wound.

Wounds vs. Infections

A cut hurts, but left untreated, an infection can do far more damage than the wound itself. The same is true in our souls. When someone hurts us, the initial wound is painful—but when we refuse to forgive, the bitterness festers. Soon, the infection spreads beyond the injury: resentment, depression, anger, even hopelessness. What was once one cut becomes a whole-body sickness.

It’s like drinking poison and expecting it to stay in your stomach—it won’t. It flows through the bloodstream, touching everything. Unforgiveness spreads the same way.

The Infection Is Worse Than the Wound

Unforgiveness is like untreated gangrene. The wound itself might be small, but the infection can spread throughout the entire body. Left unchecked, bitterness becomes more destructive than the offense itself.

A tiny leak in a roof doesn’t seem like much at first—but left alone, it spreads into rotting beams and collapsing walls. Or think of a single computer virus: one hidden file can crash the whole system. That’s what happens when we hold onto unforgiveness—the wound multiplies into something far bigger than the original hurt.

Scripture Speaks to Healing

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31–32

This passage names the symptoms of infection: bitterness, wrath, anger, and malice. But it also prescribes the cure: kindness, tenderness, and forgiveness—rooted in Christ’s forgiveness for us.

His forgiveness is both the medicine and the model.

The Medicine of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is not pretending the wound never happened. It’s applying the healing salve of Christ’s forgiveness to both the injury and the infection. When we forgive, we let God disinfect the bitterness, depression, and shame, replacing them with peace. Forgiveness frees us more than the one who hurt us.

Reflection

What wounds am I carrying that are showing signs of infection—bitterness, resentment, or heaviness?

How has Christ’s forgiveness already healed me, and how can I extend that healing to others?

Where in my life do I need to trade bitterness for kindness, wrath for tenderness, unforgiveness for mercy?

How can I invite Christ not just to heal the wound, but cleanse the systemic damage of unforgiveness?

Prayer

Father, thank You for forgiving me fully through Christ. I confess that I have let some wounds fester into infections. Today, I bring them to You. Heal not only the wound but also the bitterness that has spread beyond it. Teach me to forgive others as You have forgiven me, and let Your peace replace the poison of unforgiveness. Amen.