In the suffering and death of Christ on the cross, we have three loud voices spoken to our hurts. First, we have a voice that understands what it is to suffer. He was rejected unfairly. He was the object of ridicule and whispers behind the back. He was betrayed. He suffered an agonizing death. He identifies with our hurt, and, as those who belong to Him, we identify with His. Some only want to stop at this, however, and therefore don't find what it takes to heal. They want to be affirmed, validated (which, depending on the wound, can be understandable) but not to move on and change. Second, there is a loud voice that proclaims from the cross, "This was required for YOU." The cross of Christ is the public indictment of our sinfulness. We see that we also *cause* hurts, even out of the hurts we've received. We see that we also transgress against God and neighbor. We need forgiveness, too. In this way, the cross exposes our blindness, for a person who is f