Are you Hurting?
by Carol Hall
Psalm 34:18—“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those who are crushed in spirit.”
Website: God's Rose
Is your inner pain so great from being lied to and cheated on by someone you deeply loved and trusted that you will no longer allow anyone back into your life? Do you hate and distrust everyone because of a past rape, abuse, incest, or many other atrocities, too numerous to mention?
Do you binge, purge or starve yourself to be skinny enough, pretty enough, whatever enough for someone who may not even like himself—let alone anyone else? The truth is—no one is going to appreciate us if WE don’t start appreciating ourselves FIRST.
Jeremiah 29:11—“I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD.
“They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
With each step, each stumble, and every loud or silent cry, I’m learning some things about God along life’s journey. We may sometimes be shocked by the behavior of others or even by our own actions. But God isn’t! He knew what He was getting when He got us! You see—He knows if you’re exhausted, hungry, weak, or wounded—in the wrong place/crowd, or even if it’s time to move on, but you feel too responsible, helpless, or afraid to step out of your comfort zone. He knows when you’re hurting, feeling rejected, sick and even if you’re drowning under a wave of temptation or despair. He even knows if you just need a hug or a kind word. He sees you as an individual. So, tell Him what you need!
Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call me. And I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you did not know.”
Do the holidays make you feel sad, lonely, and/or hopeless? Do you perform self-mutilations on your body attempting to rid, purge, or give voice to your inner pain? Do you have HIV, aids, or cancer? Are you an unwed mother? Are you struggling with alcoholism, drugs, or an abusive parent or spouse? Are you the one doing the abusing?
Isaiah 40:28-29—“He never grows faint or weary … He gives power to those
who are tired and worn out; He offers strength to the weak.”
No matter what lies the enemy (Satan) tells you, friends—you are ALL special and valuable and made in God’s image. God will take people whom others have given up on and discarded as trash, and He will input His DNA right into their situation. Just HOLD ON! Your future can be brighter than your past.
Joshua 1:5 and Isaiah 49:16 says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you: I have engraved you on the palms of My hands.”
The enemy fights against your destiny that God has ordained. But God uses what Satan meant for bad for good. God doesn’t bring the battle, but He allows the battle to build our faith. Rest assured—where there’s a battle—blessings are coming!
You are on a mission. James 1:2 says to count it all joy (for what God is doing). These battles build your spiritual muscles just like weights build your body’s muscles. The Word says, “Press toward the mark of the high calling.” To build muscles, you must press against the resistance. Bodybuilders know this. As Spirit builders, we should, too.
You know, those who seem to have perfectly smooth fantasy-world lives—DON’T! It may be an act just like the one you and I portray when we smile on the outside through our painted grins, and feel like we’re dying on the inside as we sit among the ash heaps of yesterday. However, those who seem to be perfect may be in the restoration process, too! So, dust off the ashes, friends! And, don’t allow your insecurities to make you judge others who look flawless. Many people go to great lengths and extremes to remake their bodies/faces to look beautiful—even through plastic surgery thinking this will help them feel better and be accepted and loved by others. However, on the inside many may be feeling just like you and I have. You see, our worth and value are not found in our outward appearance or in temporary wealth, which are fleeting. It is in Jesus Christ and in Him alone. No amount of money or accomplishments can replace the personal relationship with our Creator/Savior.
First impressions are always so important, because we often size each other up by what we’re wearing, our degrees, the size of our homes/expensive cars we drive, what color skin we have, what nationality we are, handicaps, etc. How often in our own insecurities do we have a tendency to shine a light on someone else who is a little or a lot different to take the light off of ourselves? Can you relate? Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever done this? Satan does the same thing. He shines a light on our differences to keep us from looking to THE LIGHT—Jesus Christ—to see the truth. Sometimes the truth is a little hard to swallow.
The next time you are in the midst of a lot of people, just look around. Do you have the ability to know who those individuals are just by looking at them from the outside? Can you tell the sadness, abuse, pain and loss they’ve experienced just by looking into their faces? Of course not. But, how many of us feel like everyone knows what we are feeling inside?
Proverbs 18:24—“There are ‘friends’ who destroy each other,
but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.”
Friends, there are unforgettable people who leave their memories etched upon our hearts—and then there are those who feel more like thorns in our flesh—those who can only be loved from a distance. It might even be a family member. It’s the smooth, rocky, and even the unexpected and painful challenges we meet along life’s way that actually make us who we are TODAY. It’s up to you and me whether we become better or bitter. It really is true that what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger. Besides, every experience can also be a wonderful gift of outreach to touch another wounded soul—offering a gift of hope that says, “If I can make it—so can you!”
2 Corinthians 1:6—“When God comforts us, it is so that we, in turn, can be an encouragement to you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer.”
Sometimes people get so deep in their addictions that no matter how much they want to QUIT taking drugs, QUIT abusing, QUIT sinning—they just keep getting pulled back into their learned lifestyles believing the lies they’ve been told—sometimes by their own families—“You’ll never amount to anything!”—“You’ll always be a loser.” But, that couldn’t be further from the truth! Friend, God will meet you even in the gutter if that’s where you live. He sent His ONLY Son—Jesus Christ—to die for YOU. If you were the ONLY person on earth, He would have come to die JUST FOR YOU!
God loves us—no matter what—through every sickness, every disease, every feeling of sadness or depression—even through our sins!
You see—God doesn’t make mistakes, friend. We do! But, God will lovingly forgive us and give us another chance—if we ask Him to—if we LET Him. What God wants us all to understand is that people of all shapes, sizes, ages, colors, and degrees need love, especially when they don’t deserve it.
Matthew 5:46-47 says, “If you love only those who love you, what good is that? If you are friendly only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?”
OTHER ARTICLES:
Judas By Another Name
Can You See The Big Blue Elephant
Bill's Song of Victory
Battered, Scarred and Shamed
HOLIDAY MEMORIES—A MISSION
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