How to deal with hurt (Part 1)

Bible verse for today: Psalm 86:17 "Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me" (NIV).

How do you deal when hurt by someone you trusted? The first step towards that is forgiveness. It wouldn't be easy because the thought of being betrayed by a friend could be a tough one to process.

But the truth is, even Jesus forgave his enemies while he was in great pain, instead of cursing them, he prayed harder. It takes a good Christian to forgive while still hurting and the best way to start a journey of forgiveness is turning totally to God.

Focusing on his word, while praying for the ability to forgive and mend your broken heart would be the first step.

The Word for Today devotional by United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) says:

Have you been hurt by a Christian who chose to condemn you instead of showing compassion and helping you? Or by someone who neglected you when they should have sought you out, restored you spiritually and returned you to your rightful place in the family of God? Most people who’ve been hurt by other Christians could easily convince a jury that it should never have happened. And the truth is, it shouldn’t. But it did—and reliving it won’t change things. But it will change you—and not for the better. Stop and think: if you were mugged and taken to the hospital, you wouldn’t spend all your time obsessing about the person who beat you up.

No, your main objective would be to recover as quickly as possible and move on. Ironically, with physical wounds we seek help immediately, but with emotional ones we’re inclined to focus on the problem instead of the solution. So what are you going to do? Here are your options: 1) Rehearse it. By constantly talking to others about what happened, you empower your pain and keep it alive. 2) Repress it. David did that: ‘When I kept silent…my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer’ (Psalms 32:3-4 NIV). 3) Process it. That means being willing to uncover the areas where you were wounded and opening yourself to receive God’s grace. That’s when you discover ‘He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds’ (Psalms 147:3 NKJV). 4) Share it. The Bible says, ‘Confess your faults one to another, pray one for another, that ye may be healed…’ (James 5:16). If you’re wise you’ll choose options three and four.