It’s Not Okay to Stay Hurt
Have You Been Hurt?
We can all answer “yes!” to that question. Anyone who’s been alive longer than about 15 minutes has been hurt. Sadly, it’s part of life in this world.First, let me say I’m so sorry. I know your pain is real. You may think, “No one understands what I’ve gone through” (and that’s true) and “How can I forgive the horrible things I’ve endured, the wounds and scars I wear every day?”I haven’t walked in your shoes, and I don’t know exactly what has happened to you. But I have walked through some painful things, and I’ve walked through some painful things with other people. Maybe your hurt came when someone wounded you in terrible ways, even tried to destroy you.Maybe you counted on someone and they let you down horribly, or you were stunned when someone you trusted just totally betrayed you. Maybe it was even a Christian, who should’ve known better! Maybe someone stole from you or was just plain rotten to you.You may have suffered with unforgiveness for a long time. Maybe something happened to you long ago and, in spite of your efforts to forgive, you haven’t been able to let it go all the way. Or maybe it’s something recent; the hurt goes so deep, and you can’t see your way to forgive. These are all very real, very painful realities.In today’s world, it seems there are a lot of good reasons to harbor a grudge. It’s also a very socially acceptable concept to retaliate against those who have hurt us — revenge is a very popular theme for movies, books, TV, and news. But revenge is not God’s way. His wish — and mine too — is freedom from the hurt, so you can have peace in your heart and mind. We want you to have freedom to move past the pain, and forgiveness is the way to get there.I want you to discover what I have about the power of forgiveness.
Too many are walking around wounded or angry or even sick from the hurts of the past while God has the answer.
It might not seem like it, but the answer is forgiveness. I’ve seen miracles happen when people forgive! And I want you to know about them, so they can happen in your life too.There are stories in this book about people like you, people who have tried to forgive or thought they forgave or who didn’t want to forgive. But once they truly forgave, God was able to do great things in their lives!Maybe you don’t want to forgive — you want people to get what they deserve!I understand. I really do. Sometimes this world is a hard, hard place, and hurts come from other people, from situations and things beyond our control, from horrible circumstances and violated expectations. But God wants you to be free from the hurt, and that’s what this book is about.
It’s Not Okay to Stay Hurt
While it’s fairly normal to get hurt as a Christian human being on planet Earth, it’s not okay to stay hurt. God doesn’t want that for you! In fact, can I put it to you in fairly harsh terms? Staying hurt is really harboring unforgiveness.I know, I know! That’s a mean thing to say! Ouch! And you might be thinking, Oh no, I’m not harboring unforgiveness, Karen. I know better than that. Or you might even be thinking, But you don’t know what they did to me!And of course, you’re right, I don’t know. I haven’t felt your particular pain. But one thing I know for sure is that I don’t want you to have to live with it a moment longer, and neither does God. He loves you! And he sent his Son, Jesus, to bear those pains for you and to set you free.When someone has done something hurtful or stupid or mean or ignorant to you and it’s affected your life, it just doesn’t seem like it’s possible to forgive them, especially when you’re living with the results. But here’s what I’ve learned: if you forgive, you can come out of it. When you choose to forgive, you’re choosing God’s way of acting and reacting, and that means you’re choosing to let him take over in the situation. Not only does forgiveness make your pain go away, but it allows God to move.Don’t live a moment longer with the wrongs that others have done to you or with your own regrets and failures.
You can’t hold onto the past and walk into the future God has for you!
Today is a new day — a day to let it go and walk in freedom. We all have opportunities to hold onto things that have happened to us. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to let what others do to me determine how I live. Unforgiveness only perpetuates pain, both in my life and the lives of those around me.Not only can it poison my life, but it can poison my family, friends, and loved ones. If I refuse to forgive, I hurt myself and those around me. Let’s face it, hurt people can end up hurting people! Bitter people are no fun to be around. They can’t sleep. They get ulcers. They’re grumpy. They start to see only the negative in every situation because their life is filled with these feelings of resentment and anger.My friend, if you choose to hold on to bitterness, you can lose your peace, your joy, your friends, your family, and possibly even your health. It’s just not worth it. When you refuse to forgive, you may feel like you’re punishing the other person, but the only person paying the price is you and those around you. Through forgiveness, God can bring you into a future that is far better than you can even imagine!
Peace and Freedom
So are you ready for peace and freedom? Are you ready to move past the pain and walk into your bright future? Are you ready to accept the challenge to forgive? Don’t cheat yourself out of a life of freedom and joy. The future God has planned for you is much better than your past.God is saying to you today, “Let it go. Forgive them their debts, just as I have forgiven yours.”In my own life, I’ve learned the power of forgiveness — both for myself and the many, many people I’ve ministered to. Miracles happen when we forgive!God wants you to be free from hurt, and so do I. It’s what Jesus came for! Galatians 5:1 (NIV) says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Jesus doesn’t want you to be a slave to hurts for another moment.
There is freedom in forgiveness!
It might feel impossible to forgive right now, but I invite you to read through the book. You’ve already taken the first step of the journey by reading this far. Hurray for you! Now keep going. By bathing your spirit in the truths of God’s Word in this book, you can cut the chains of past hurts and walk away free.