Have you or somebody you know been hurt or emotionally injured? If you haven’t, or you don’t know anyone who has, you’re one of the few. Many of us go through stuff, we get hit, life and people knock us down, and yes even Christians get overwhelmed.

 

A big part of our faith walk is learning how to deal with hurt. It is the most impactful, most difficult and one of the biggest challenges to our faith. Nobody is immune, pain does not have a respect of person and no amount of faith can prevent hurt (Matthew 5:45). This is perhaps why we just need to get this out on the table — in case there is any confusion: Hurt is called hurt because it hurts.

 

Despite the false claims that Christians have a magic hurt pill, the bible does not tell us that we are immune to hurt (2 Corinthians 4:17). All we have to do is go to the bible and God will show us that to hurt is human. The bible tells us that even the Holy Spirit Grieves (Ephesians 4:30), Jesus wept (John 11:33-36), Elijah, God’s world wind prophet, was so emotionally distraught that he asked God to take his life (1 Kings 19:4).

 

If we keep living, hurt will come down our street. We expected the right thing from the wrong person. We didn’t get what we wanted or we are seemingly being denied, hindered or blocked from what we need. They mistreated our love, our kindness or our goodness. They walked out without trying, without giving God a chance. They fired us without notice, without reason. If it wasn’t for bad breaks, it seems like you wouldn’t have any breaks at all. Life is piling up problems, breaks between the hell seem to be getting shorter. The kids are out of control, communication is breaking down with a spouse and the picture of family you hoped for seems impossible. We were not ready or prepared to lose a loved one.

 

What am I saying? It’s OK to have a breakdown but your destiny is too important to unpack and stay there. The beginning of healing from anything is truth. It’s not easy but following truth is the only way out of pain (Proverbs 4:7). Pain without truth is like a prison without a door.

 

But Pastor you just don’t understand. No, being a pastor, a minister, a volunteer or anything else does not make us immune to hurt of any kind. Gifts, ministries, talents or assignments don’t stop hurt. Humans hurt regardless of who they are or what they do. We don’t know what the Apostle Paul’s thorn was but we do know it hurt — and it hurt bad (1 Corinthians 12:7-9).

 

In our darkest hour, in our despair or distress, that’s when faith meets the road. That’s when, like the Apostle Paul, we meet grace. We don’t meet grace when we read about it, we meet grace when we cannot do anything about it — and we invite God to step in. Our emotions will war against our spiritual truth, and our weeping will endure for as long as emotions are winning (Romans 7:23).

 

Find your praise. Sometimes we have to start praising God before we feel better. Sometimes we have to stand in victory, talk like victors and expect like victors before we can see victory. Sometimes we have to commit our weakness to God and trade our weakness for His strength (Psalm 18:2). Walking out of pain is an inside job — pain does not stop because the problem is reversed, pain stops when we reverse the lies of the enemy: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

 

We need you to survive. We need you to recover and be restored. This is a chapter, a season, not a lifetime and we all need to see what God is going to do when you trust in Him to work all things together for your good. We need you to believe, your hope is light for us — if He did for you, He will do it for us (Revelations 12:11). Your breakthrough is going to break somebody out.

 

No matter what, if you don’t give up on you, your potential, your power or your promise, you win! If you let it, pain will grow you into the next version of you.  Cry if you have to, seek help if you need to, pray and walk. If you keep truth in your heart, you’re going to find out that you can walk with your heart in pieces and still be in peace. Look in the mirror with the hope of Jesus in your heart and keep reminding yourself that your destiny is worth it!

 

Be blessed.