As I reflect on the healing that the Lord has brought through the words of others, a few of my friends, and most of all through time with and help from God Himself, I think about the why -- why does the Lord allow us to be hurt and broken by the sins and pain of others? And after we're broken, why does He fix us?
The short answer is, I don't know. But as I have asked God this and thought about it and prayed about it, I've come up with a few hypotheses.
The other week, I was thinking and praying about why some of the things I've gone through hurt so badly and why they had happened to me. God's answer was clear and direct: "I am building compassion in you." Alrighty then. Essentially I've come to believe -- at least in my case -- that the Lord used these situations to build empathy in me for others who are hurting. I believe He wanted me to know that I need to trust Him above people and above organizations -- ultimately, above anything else. I believe He used the hurtful situations in my past to draw me to the real Jesus -- not the cheap imitations I'd grown up around.
While everyone's situation is different, I believe that every hurt we experience hurts God too; that He doesn't cause the pain though He does allow it. And I do believe that He can redeem these hurts and, somehow, work them together for His good. I don't pretend to understand how this works, but I can see how He's begun doing this in my life. I am so grateful for it.
I believe God fixes us because He is good, and because He loves us. Period. While I've come to believe that these are two of the main reasons I've come to believe that God fixes us, I think He ultimately uses our hurts and the broken pieces of our past to display His glory and to use us for His service.
I know that God has used the deep hurts I've experienced in and because of the church to help others. I am ready to be used, and my yes is on the table. I am willing to use these hurts to help others however I can.
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