Let’s face it, at some point in our lives we will experience hurt, whether it’s by a friend, co-worker, spouse, family member, or even a church member. The pain is so crippling that it handicaps you to the point you can’t move, and the hurt becomes quicksand that pulls you in and before you know it, has swallowed you whole. The world is passing you by, life is moving forward, and the one who hurt you has carried on. But then there’s you, still swallowed, still crippled, and still broken.
I would be lying if I told you I have never experienced hurt. I would be lying if I told you that it didn’t break me to the point of depression, anxiety, and fear. I was in a dark pit and had no clue how I would ever crawl out of. I have experienced hurt feelings, and pride, but in this situation the hurt wasn’t aimed directly at me. It was aimed at a close family member that I love dearly. The hurt was aimed with a sharp knife that hit straight through not only my heart but my entire family. I spent days and nights trying to find the strength to continue, the strength to act as if nothing ever happened, the strength to find a positive word about the one who hurt us so badly when others would praise them. The strength to show them kindness when I would run in to them.
But I want to let you in on some facts I learned through this trial in my life. You will experience pain and hurt along this journey we call life. And sometimes the hurt will have the face of someone you loved and trusted and born into your family, and sometimes that hurt comes in like a category five hurricane and rips your world and family apart without warning. You will be broken into a million little pieces, and you cannot put them together again no matter how hard you try, but I learned that all I had to do was pick up those broken pieces and hand them to Jesus. And that quicksand you try and stand in may look solid, but when pressure is applied it liquifies, and you begin to sink and then you can eventually drown, but one simple cry out to Jesus and that quicksand turns into the firm ground you need to stand again.
The pain I went through filled my mind so full of depression, anxiety, and fear that I couldn’t cry out for help. I didn’t have the strength left. I had used what little strength I had trying to crawl around in the dark looking for my way out of that bottomless pit, when all I had to do was be still and let God fight that battle for me and my family. Jesus asked the question in John 5:8 Do you want to be healed. That was a question I had to ask myself, and I did. The answer was obvious, I did want to be healed. All I had to do was ask Jesus and trust that he could do it.
I am a child of God, and my father loves me beyond my comprehension. He doesn’t want his children to hurt, nor does he want his children to hurt each other, that is not in his plan. Unfortunately, sin entered the world and so did satan. So many times, we let the world control our thoughts and actions, we follow the instructions of what others say, and we value the opinions of others more than the truth of what God says. We become too busy trying to tear others down just to prove a point or to make ourselves feel better. There are lots of ways we can choose to handle hurt, but there is only one way that will work, and that’s forgiving the one who hurt you. We all mess up, but the reality of it all is that Jesus loves the one that hurt you as much as he loves you, He even died for them too. I know it hurts, I know it’s hard to let go of that anger and resentment, but trust me when I say what you feed will grow, and anger is known to have some deep strong roots, and the only one who is strong enough to handle it is Jesus, so you must give it to Him if you want to be healed. Don’t allow that anger to take root in your heart.
Letting go is a choice you get to make. You cannot control the actions of others, but you can control how you respond. Jesus is there, He’s always been there, and He has a great plan for you, but you have to trust him and let him handle the one who hurt you.
Comments