Have you ever heard the saying, "Ignore it and maybe it'll go away"? I have heard it a million times as my mother would joke about my siblings or me hanging around being silly. The statement was just cute and funny when she used it like that and brings back good memories.
Truth be told--that statement will cause so much harm and despair when regarding real life problems. I recently read this in a book, "We must face our pain to overcome it. With God, it is possible." Those two sentences hit me square in my face.
We find oursleves hurt by the people we trust the most. The physical, mental, emotional trauma caused by these events can haunt for years.
The big problem is the silence that we give these events. We let them fester inside and some never, ever get told to anyone. The thoughts, the unforgiveness, can hold us hostage in a world of self-esteem issues and destructive behavior. The hurt will eventually be suppressed with the memories so that we can live a "normal" life.
Isn't that what we do? We are victimized and yet feel like we are at fault. Our thoughts, Satan's lies, tell us that we did something to deserve what happened. We keep it bottled up inside, afraid to tell anyone until it just becomes part of who we are.
The pain of the past can bring such devestation to your life if left unaddressed. We can't overcome an issue until we face it head on and give it to God. He is a Healer and will take it and use it for good. "You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result — the survival of many people." Genesis 50:20 HCSB
Sometimes God will allow us to face a trail, whether we caused the trial or He did, in order to start a serious healing process. As we make our way through the trial, God slowly reveals the things to us that are hindering us from living an abundant life in Him. Things that haunt us from our past will be brought back to vivid memory so that you can give it to Him.
The healing process can take years if we try to avoid it and take short cuts. If we give forgiveness to the person that hurt us but don't give God the shame that we feel for being the victim or the other way around, we can't be fully healed.
It may take several trials before we realize the point God is trying make. (Been there, done that, ouch) The good thing is that God loves us enough to keep trying. He wants to make us better through healing our wounds. Bandages to cover the wounds are temporary. A complete God-healing is the only true way to freedom.
God recently revealed pain from my (very long ago) past that I hadn't fully given to Him. I suppressed the pain and shame until it caused me to stumble and fall. Jeremiah 8:4 says, "Jeremiah say to the people," This is what the Lord says, "When people fall down, don't they get back up again? When they discover they are on the wrong road, don't they turn back?" I can honestly say...I feel so healed, clean and free from my past hurts. God has helped me back up and has gotten me on the right road. He has showed His loving faithfulness in every step. I give Him all the glory for the refinement!
Lingering pain, unresolved hurt, can destroy. Give it to the only One who heals in completion. I pray for any of you that find yourselves living with pain from the past. God can use that pain to show His glory through miraculous healing. He has done it for me and I praise Him for it.
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