Come and let us return to the Lord, for He has torn so that He may heal us; He has stricken so that He may bind us up. – Hosea 6:1 (AMPC)

The human body is a marvel. Despite centuries of studying it, we still can’t explain how everything works. One fascinating discovery doctors made is that our muscles must be torn before they can be strengthened. Researchers in the 1940s observed microtears in muscles, but it wasn’t until the 70s that they learned the tears were necessary to trigger repair and strengthening. They realized each time we push our bodies beyond their normal capacity, our muscles experience tiny fiber tears. These tears signal the body to enter repair mode, causing a chain reaction that eventually leads to stronger muscles so long as we get the proper nutrition and rest. The result is a stronger, healthier body, and it all starts when we push our body beyond its normal capacity until it is torn in the right places for healing.

Like our muscles, we must sometimes be torn so we can be made stronger. True strength only comes through Christ (Philippians 4:13); so God sometimes has to tear parts of us like relationships, finances, jobs, health, or beauty to make us stronger in him. But just like muscles feel sore or painful after being worked past their normal capacity, we too can feel pain and hurt when God tears things we love, value, or prioritize in our lives. It’s a part of the strengthening process. To be fully repaired and strengthened, we must get our nutrition and rest in God. That means staying in His word, maintaining fellowship with other Believers, and trusting God to take us through our painful experiences. In the end, we’ll not only be stronger, but we’ll be wiser, and better all because he tore us in the right places for healing.