July 24

Death by 1,000 Cuts

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.  ––2 Corinthians 1:3-5

“Lingchi” was a form of capital punishment practiced in China for hundreds of years, until it was banned in 1905. It was death by many cuts, involving the removal of pieces of the body over time to extract the maximum amount—and length—of suffering before death. Yeah, brutal. (Whole books have been written about the different forms of torture used over the centuries—but I will take a pass.)

The expression “death by 1,000 cuts” is a metaphor for a gradual decline or failure caused by numerous small, individual problems that accumulate over time. No single factor is fatal on its own, but the cumulative effect leads to a slow and painful demise. If you’ve ever gotten seriously behind in paying your taxes or mortgage, you can probably relate. Or, if you know someone whose life just seemed cursed—just one mishap, tragedy, and accident after another.

Man of God, the cuts that happen to us accumulate over time and unless we deal with them, can slowly lead to spiritual or emotional “death.” We need to consciously recognize them and invite the Lord into the healing process. Lost your job and see your bank account dropping into the red? Trying to pick up the pieces after the death of a relationship or loved one? Reeling from a negative health diagnosis that makes it hard to see bright days ahead? Big cuts and little cuts will always come our way this side of eternity.

I’m not going to insult you by offering some cliched piece of advice for problems no one can fully understand except God. The best I can do is point to Jesus, who suffered as we do, and in ways that we can fully relate to:

[Jesus] made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!  ––Philippians 2:7-8

Man of God, what’s your deepest cut today? What painful process or issue are you dealing with? I invite you to pray with me to bring it to the foot of the Cross:

Father, none of us can escape life’s many cuts, both small and large, shallow and deep. Lord, as the wounds and scars accumulate, we turn them over to You. We are reminded of the brutal death Jesus experienced, and His glory in taking on the cuts (sins) of this world so we might enjoy eternity with You. I surrender (list your specific issues or relationships) to You, and ask that You heal my heart and soul. In Jesus’ name. Amen.