Overcoming Hurt through LOVE

I'm certain that every human being has experience some type of hurt at least once in their lives. Whether it was from abandonment, betrayal, deceit, or anger, getting hurt by someone is painful. Our human nature doesn't want us to get hurt so when we do, we use mechanisms to prevent further and future hurt. We build up walls, we start hurting other people, and we shut down our emotions so people can't cause us pain. Ever hear the expression "Hurting people hurt people"? This expression is true. Instead of properly dealing with our emotions, we turn our hurt into anger or depression and continue that vicious cycle of hurt & pain.

I'm here to tell you that, we don't have to follow the norm. We can break free from that cycle of hurt & pain by LOVING those who hurt us. When someone hurts us, we tend to hold grudges & have unforgiveness in our hearts. But that only binds us to pain. When we learn to let go of what they did and CHOOSE to forgive them, we are free from our feelings of hurt & pain. Loving someone who hurts us can be difficult but it can be done by the grace of God. In fact, the Word of God tells us to do this so we won't be bound by hurt and pain. In Romans 12:14, 17-21, we see that instead cursing that individual that we need to bless and pray for them as we let God deal with them. In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus tells us to that we need to live like Godly people and love EVERYONE as God loves us. Jesus gave us TWO commandments: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and 'Love your neighbor as yourself' (Luke 10:27). Jesus didn't give a stipulation to his commandments; it doesn't say love your neighbor unless he or she hurts you. We are to LOVE and that's it!!! Love is a POWERFUL weapon that can overcome any hurt and pain that we experience. God wants all of His children to be free from any attack from the enemy, which includes hurt and pain. By doing His commandment and choosing to LOVE, we are living the life that God wants us to live free from negativity including hurt. When we allow hurt and pain to manifest in our lives, we keep ourselves contained in a box filled with darkness. Indirectly we are telling God that we don't trust Him enough to deliver us from hurt and pain and that we will deal with the hurt and pain ourselves. We can NOT do anything without God. With God, we can bind those chains of hurt and pain as well as the feelings of depression and anger. Satan wants us to be bound so we can continue that cycle of hurt and pain but God wants us to be free from it by His grace.

God has delivered me from the chains of hurt and pain and I want to share with you how I did it with Him:

1. Choose to forgive those who hurt you and caused you pain - Forgiveness is a CHOICE! It is not a feeling. We can still be saddened by what someone did to us and choose to forgive them. Forgiveness means to the process of concluding resentment, indignation, or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, and/or ceasing to demand punishment or retaliation. Once we forgive, we need to let go of what he or she did and move on. By not forgiving our transgressors, we block our own blessings and give power to the enemy. Forgiveness begets freedom!
2. Use the healing process as a time of development and growth - Sometimes when we get hurt, we pretend as though we are not hurt. This should not happen because we now have a false sense of how we feel. This does not allow us to handle our hurt properly. If one day, you are hurting and you start to cry, allow your tears to fall and ask the Holy Spirit to be your comforter and give you God's perfect peace. If on another day, you start getting angry at the person who hurt you, ask God for forgiveness and start praying for the person. The healing process is a time of development and growth so you can be closer to the Father.
3. Love despite how you feel - Love is also a CHOICE! The world perceives love as a feeling but that type of love is conditional. God wants His children to have unconditional love. This means that regardless of how a person treats you, you will ALWAYS love them. If a relationship is too unhealthy for you to still remain in that person's life, you can still love that person by praying for them and asking God to bless them. Loving a person is turning the other cheek not taking an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

In closing, I want you to know that loving someone who hurt you does not make you a punk or weak. It makes you strong in the Lord because you are moving past your feeling and doing what is right by being obedient to God's word. If you have any hurt, pain, or unforgiveness in your heart, I pray to ask the Father to rid that from you and CHOOSE to overcome that hurt through LOVE!

God Bless!!!