Skip to main content

Hurt: A Devotional

 

Hurt: A Devotional






" Hate stirs up trouble, but love overlooks all offenses."

Proverbs 10:12

"Love does not keep a record of wrongs."

1 Corinthians 13:5


Dear Reader,

Here is a tough question. You've been hurt, badly treated, perhaps slandered. You are in the process of forgiving the person(s) who hurt you daily, and you may even be praying that God will bless them. But what about that deep hurt that remains? What do you do about that? How does one get rid of it? And if you do somehow manage to throw that hurt in the dustbin, won't it jump out at you daily, taking you by surprise and clutch at your heart?

Will you need to deal with it every day until you leave your earthly home? You may ask, shouldn't these difficult people be made to pay for the way they hurt me? Surely burying the hurt will negate my pain?

They're all heartfelt but difficult questions. What I do know, is that God's Word is clear. We must forgive. And we must cover up the traces of those hurts in love.

Well, how? You may ask. I am certainly too weak to do that. It's impossible. Yes. It is impossible for you to do on your own. You will need to be born again and filled with the Holy Spirit to do it. Then God will give you the power to forgive, to overlook, and yes, even to love. 

We may not be able to solve every problem, and we certainly cannot change people, but much can be done if we trust God to help, strengthen and empower us.

God wants us to have abundant life here on earth as well as eternal life. When we forgive and put our hurts aside, this abundant life can be ours.

Note: Forgiveness is often a process especially when wounds are deep. Make the choice to forgive through the power of the Holy Spirit. Give your hurts to God. As you walk with God and remain in Him each day, you may still find that anger, hurt, and unforgiveness, rise up in your thoughts and mind. Don't panic. You have forgiven. Stop and pray, giving everything back to the Lord. You will know what you need to say to the Lord. Pour out your heart and allow Him to comfort and strengthen you. You will find tremendous help and comfort in His Word.

It is wonderful that restoration may often occur within relationships. However, where there has been abuse, it may be necessary to distance oneself from the perpetrator. Forgiveness and laying aside one's hurt are still effective in these circumstances.


***

Love and blessings,

Alison

Scripture quotations: Good News Bible. Today's English Version. (Anglicised text)


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Conversation. A Free Short Story

  The Conversation  Gavin was so absorbed in his book, that he barely noticed that the train had stopped at a station. "Mind if I sit here?" He looked up. A young woman with friendly freckles across her nose and wide brown eyes stood in the aisle. He nodded, then smiled faintly and she quickly stowed her large backpack. "I'm Sybil." The young woman offered. "Thanks." "No problem. Travelling to Barton?"  "Nope. It's Dunmore I'm headed for. You?" "Same." Gavin was cautious. He wasn't sure he felt like a chatty companion. He'd been looking forward to finishing his book. It had hooked him from the first chapter. But thankfully, Sybil didn't bubble on. She just smiled before taking her own book out.  Gavin went back to his reading, not without noticing that it was a Bible that Sybil had opened. Unusual.   Sybil glanced towards him. She liked to study people, and would often strike up a conversation in the ho...

Not Much Time. Free Short Story.

  Years have gone by, yet the phone call still plays clear as a bell in my mind. "He needs to come home. Please tell him. There isn't much time." The thin, frail voice of the caller lent weight to the urgency of her call. No, there couldn't have been much time. "Daddy, a lady called. An old lady. She said there isn't much time." I tiptoed up to his armchair. I spoke softly, hesitantly. I was only a child, and I knew nothing of his past. "She says, she says, you must go home." "No!" The armchair shook with the force of his rage. "No! And don't talk to that woman again."  No further calls came from the frail-voiced lady. At least, not that I know of. *** Daddy was nearing the end. The end of a long, long battle. I was in my forties, married, and with children of my own. "Who was she Daddy?" I asked gently, hoping with God's help to bring him to a place of peace and forgiveness. But his face tightened and he t...

A Bright Tale: A Story For Young People As Well as For The Young At Heart

  A Bright Tale A Story for young people, (+- 10-14) and the young at heart By Alison Lawrence Introduction Before commencing our tale, I would like to give you a short tour and overview of Brightston. I am sure that you would like to picture it as clearly as possible, and so, I will do my best to do it justice. It won’t be easy though, for Brightston is a very special place, as you shall see. First, we shall start at the centre of Brightston, which is a bit like travelling to Jerusalem if you were on our planet. Well, right at the centre of Brightston, is a city called the Golden City. It is so called for it is made of gold. Yet, dear reader, it is not the gold which brings illumination, although it does gleam wonderfully. No, it is the king of Brightston himself who radiates light throughout his kingdom. The king, who is very, very holy, and very, very good, has several beautiful names, but he is known everywhere in Brightston as simply the King of Truth, for this is the es...