Love Your Wound: The Surprising Shift That Heals More Than You Think
Changing your view changes your life. And sometimes, that change begins with something as simple as loving the very parts of yourself you’ve resisted.
UN-LABELINGIN THE SMOKE
Liz Stubbs
8/25/20252 min read
Sometimes the most life-changing wisdom arrives in the most unexpected places. For me, it wasn’t in a classroom, a book, or a motivational talk. It was in a surgeon’s office, bandages being unwrapped from a fresh skin graft. That’s where I first heard five words that shifted everything about how I see resilience, healing, and possibility.
I was training for the Chicago marathon—months of long runs in Atlanta’s summer heat. But one month out, I learned I had skin cancer on my toe. Surgery was unavoidable. And with it, my dream of running the marathon vanished.
The recovery was its own journey, but the real turning point came in the surgeon’s office when the stitches came out. He looked at me, looked at the wound, and said:
“You have to love your wound to heal.”
Those words rewired something in me.
We tend to see wounds—whether physical, emotional, or life setbacks—as flaws, obstacles, or proof that something is broken. But what if our wounds are actually evidence of resilience? Proof that healing is already underway?
When we shift our lens from fixing what’s wrong to loving what’s healing, we tap into a powerful truth: our wounds are not our enemies. They are faithful allies, showing us the miracle of resilience in action.
The Challenge for You
Think of a “wound” you carry today. It might be visible, or it might be hidden — a disappointment, a loss, a scar you carry inside.
Write it down.
Place your hand gently over your heart (or over the place you feel it most).
Whisper to it: I love you. Thank you for healing.
Repeat this daily for a week. Notice how this shift in language shifts your perspective.
Changing your view changes your life. And sometimes, that change begins with something as simple as loving the very parts of yourself you’ve resisted.
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