Have you ever given the best of yourself to someone or something, only to receive the worst in return? I have often experienced this phenomenon in my life, though more so in the past year than I ever imagined possible. Yet, through all of the hurt and pain, I have grown closer to God and gained an even deeper hunger and resolve to love the hurting and broken. You see, the truth is, we all need a Savior. We never outgrow that need. Many of us allow ourselves to be consumed by the hurt and pain inflicted by those hurting and in pain, instead of allowing the power of Christ to work mightily in and through us. We hold onto our pain as if it were a badge of honor. We allow bitterness to take root in our hearts and we unwittingly leave a wake of destruction in our path of righteous indignation.
My friend, I know you feel my pain. You too have suffered.
You too have been hurt, felt betrayed, rejected, unloved.
Has it drawn you into the love of Christ or into an abyss of further pain and suffering? I want to share with you my personal journey and how the Lord has given me His eyes to see and His ears to hear. My hope is that you, too, will walk in the freedom, joy, and purpose I have found in the midst of my greatest sorrows.
Let’s begin by looking at the WHO/WHAT/WHEN/WHERE/WHY,
and in my next blog, I will share the HOW…
So, WHO can we expect to hurt us: EVERYONE. That’s right, every single person in our lives will undoubtedly inflict some type of pain on us at some point in time. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23-24). The difference in level and impact of pain will vary, of course. Those who are not close to us may only sting us, while those we are closest to have the ability to wound us most deeply. For the people we choose to remain in covenant relationship with, we will often experience repeated pain (family, friends, people at work, church family, or even our pastor). Oftentimes it is not the intention of the person to inflict pain, though that is certainly the case at other times.
So, WHAT happens? Life happens.
Frequently the true source of our pain is not actually what the other person said or did, but how we interpreted it. The lens through which we view the world is the greatest determining factor in the amount of pain and suffering we will go through in this life. This is where the lies of the enemy wreak havoc on our souls. We allow him to torment us with thoughts of anger and bitterness, poisoning our body, soul, mind and spirit in the process. This is why it is so vital that we know and stand on the Truth of God in the midst of pain and suffering. When we allow anger to simmer for even a day, we open the door for the enemy to come in and work in our life:
Be angry [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], yet do not sin; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down. And do not give the devil an opportunity [to lead you into sin by holding a grudge, or nurturing anger, or harboring resentment, or cultivating bitterness]. – Ephesians 4:26-27 AMP
The WHEN and WHERE are simple: often throughout your entire life and everywhere you go!
The only place free from pain and sorrow is in heaven, and we will get there soon enough, my dear! But I hope to show you that your hope is not just to be found in heaven. When you grab hold of the truth I want to impart to you, you will walk in hope, joy, peace, purpose and victory all the days of your life…from your best days to your very worst days.
Until my next blog, I want to leave you with a number of scriptures to meditate on. My greatest source of comfort has come from understanding that God is fully aware of my pain, and has prepared me to not just endure it, but to embrace it! In fact, our greatest blessings often stem from our deepest hurts, if we keep the mind of Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through the pain!
I pray you are comforted, strengthened, challenged, and encouraged by these verses, and that you will commit yourself to seeing your struggles through the redemptive eyes of Christ instead of through the hurts and pains of the past, present, or future!
Along with these scriptures, I have a FREE list of 7 daily declarations for you to wield over the coming week as you go into battle with your pain! Click HERE to receive them!
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.] – John 16:33 AMP
My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things. And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking. – James 1:2-4 TPT
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test you [that is, to test the quality of your faith], as though something strange or unusual were happening to you. But insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, keep on rejoicing, so that when His glory [filled with His radiance and splendor] is revealed, you may rejoice with great joy. If you are insulted and reviled for [bearing] the name of Christ, you are blessed [happy, with life-joy and comfort in God’s salvation regardless of your circumstances], because the Spirit of glory and of God is resting on you [and indwelling you—He whom they curse, you glorify]. – 1 Peter 4:12-14 AMP
Blessings,
