Healing the Hurt

I know you may be hurting. I know that maybe things didn’t go as planned. I know things don’t always make sense. I know that we struggle and feel pain. I know that the world is filled with bad things. I know that whatever hurt you have, you may be trying to pinpoint the reason for why that hurt is in your life. I know it’s sometimes easy to point that finger at God.

I understand that there’s brokenness, fear, and hurt. I understand that there’s pain, sadness, and grief. The world has many faults. We make mistakes. I get that. But when the pain sets in, it’s important to understand how to move forward. It’s important that we make sure we don’t live in the past. It’s important that we don’t try to point fingers at God. It’s okay to feel hurt. But please do what you can to heal the hurt rather than forever living your life in it.

Don’t choose to live in fear.

After pain inhabits your life, it’s easy to fear that you will feel the pain again. It’s so simple to just live in that fear day after day. Accept that right now you are fine. You are okay. If you are here reading this, taking in these words right now, you are okay. You are safe. Any fear you have at this moment is fear you are creating within your own mind. Anxiety and stress - these cause fear. Not letting go of the past and worrying about the future - this causes fear. Each day we can either choose to dwell on what happened and worry about what might happen or we can choose to act and live in the present moment. We can be happy with this moment we are given. Life is not supposed to consist of a series of anxieties and worries and fears.

Life is not supposed to be about fearing the worst and waiting for it to happen. Each day should be lived to the fullest. Each day should be lived with what we’re given. Each day should be treated as a wonderful gift, because it is one. Quit choosing fear. Quit allowing it to invade your mind. Don’t let it steal your peace.

Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Don’t blame God.

With all this fear and hurt in the world, we often try to point our fingers at God. We try to accuse Him of allowing this to happen. We ask how He could possibly let such bad things happen to us. Please stop doing this. Please stop accusing. Think about this for a second:

Imagine you’re young and in a candy store with your parents and your brother or sister. Imagine that your brother or sister steals a piece of candy. You all walk out of the candy store when your brother or sister reveals what they have stolen. Now your parents have raised you both up right. They have given you love. They have cared for you. They have provided for you and listened to you and held you. They have loved you.

Would your first reaction be to point your fingers at your parents and scold them for what your brother or sister has done?? Would you accuse them and ask why they allowed such a bad thing to happen when they had no control over the poor choice your brother or sister made?

No, you wouldn’t. You would be disappointed in your sibling. You would understand that they made that decision. You wouldn’t try to blame your parents because of what your brother or sister did. You would know that your sibling fell into sin. They listened to the devil instead of God. They made that decision.

Now apply this to life. God is our Father. We are His children. When one of our brothers or sisters makes mistakes, it is their choice. They are choosing to live in sin. They are choosing to listen to the devil. God has provided us with everything. He has given us life, He has cared for us, He has loved us, He has given us Jesus to follow as an example. But yet, we choose to make choices against Him. We choose to either listen to Him or listen to the devil. God never promised us a pain-free world. The devil pushes for this pain. The devil is working to place this pain into wherever he can.

God feels what we feel. He literally takes on our baggage and feels our pain. We must choose Him. We must give it up to Him. It is a choice.

Don’t allow the devil to invade.

The devil is trying to inject pain and hurt in your life every chance he can. He’s trying to make you feel bad about yourself. He prowls around like a lion waiting to devour you. Don’t allow him to do so! Stand firm in your faith, and look to God. Listen to what He’s telling you. Resist sin. Turn away. God is holding out His hand… you just have to grab it.

Praying isn’t a quick fix to heal your pain. Praying isn’t going to make all the hurt automatically go away. But God is listening. Please understand that He loves you. He’s working hard for you. He’s fighting for you. There is power in prayer, but don’t get mad at Him when not all your problems are solved or not all your questions are answered. You have to trust. You have to have faith. You have to keep praying. You have to choose God and resist the devil.

1 Peter 5:8-10 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

Stand Firm.

You have to stand firm in faith. You have to hold onto what God is giving you. You have to keep your eyes fixed on Him. You have to let go of the bitterness, of the pain, of the hurt. Talk to God about it. Don’t try to handle it all yourself. Don’t try to take on all that baggage. Learn from the past, and move forward.

Don’t hate the sinner, hate the sin. Don’t choose fear. Don’t blame God. Don’t listen to the devil. Flee from evil. Choose peace over pain. God is fighting for you every day. Let Him heal the hurt.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”