Created for Pain: A Lie
"After your season of suffering, God in all His grace will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you." 1 Peter 5:10
I know I am not alone when I speak about hurt and pain. I know that everyone whom has lived on this earth for any length of time has had his/her fair share of suffering. There was a time in my life where the hurt seemed unbearable and permanent. I had been hurt to the core of my heart by someone I loved. Usually, those we love the most are the ones with the capability to hurt us the deepest.
Usually, those that hurt us are dealing with their own hurt and pain. The hurt they cause isn't always intentional. It's a sign that their heart could be broken or unwell.
All I knew to do was pray and read God's word. In the midst of my struggle, I was not immune to Satan's lies. I began to really process a lot of life's events and noticed a pattern of being hurt by those I loved the most. Loving people has always been easy for me, as well as loving deeply and with my whole heart.
In a fleeting moment, Satan tried to tell me one of the biggest lies he has ever thrown at me, "You were created to be hurt." What the what?
The thought was shocking and unnerving. I knew it was not of God, but for a brief second, in my sunken spot, I wondered if there was any truth to it. It doesn't make a lot of sense this side of the trail, but in the valley, lies can seem louder.
Thankfully, my husband was there to fight this spiritual warfare with me. He took up the cross of Jesus and prayed over me every time I had a moment of doubt, fear, insecurity & pain. I felt terribly guilty for even entertaining such an ungodly thought, but I recognized it as a scheme of the enemy to lie to me, to steal from me, and to, ultimately, destroy me.
If I would have given in to this lie and come into agreement with the master of deceit, I would have spiraled downward instead of making a steady upward climb to wholeness in the Lord.
I feel like there a lot of people in life who have undergone traumatic and devastating trials....sometimes one right after another after another...hurt and pain that wasn't a part of the original plan or a consequence of the person's actions.
When that happens, it's easy to begin to wonder what you did to deserve the story you have...or to wonder if you were created to experience hurt and to be hurt.
Please listen to me. You don't deserve to be hurt. God doesn't want you to live a broken life with a bandaged up heart. But pain is in place to let us know that something is wrong. It's both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing to be able to say, "This hurts, I probably should check it out." And a curse when "It hurts, and I don't know if I can take it anymore."
As long as sin exists, hurt will be a part of our path. And "hurt people" hurt people. I don't pretend to understand all the ways of God, but I do know that He wants to bring healing and wholeness to our lives when we experience unbearable pain. He wants to fight for you when you are in the fetal position unable to speak or move due to the emotional or spiritual battle inside of you.
He wants to love you, hold you, and fill you with His spirit. You're never too far gone for him to rescue. You can't go anywhere that He hasn't already been.
Allow me to love on you from afar tonight and encourage you to keep putting one foot in front of the other, with a prayer on your lips, and a song in your heart. You were NOT created to be hurt. You were created by an Almighty God who adores you, loves you, and breathed you into existence, because He wanted you to be a part of His story for His glory.
Never believe the untruths of the enemy nor the naysayers that say "you are nothing," "you don't matter," "you are worthless," "you aren't the right size," "you aren't love-able," "you can't do what God has called you to do," "you aren't worth being good to" "you deserve a life of hell on earth" or whatever else you have been told.
In Psalm 139:14, 15, David, a man who suffered through many challenges, wrote, "Your workmanship is marvelous--and how well I know it. You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion!"
Remembering what God says about you is one of the most powerful weapons you have against the enemy.
David wasn't perfect, but he is called "a man after God's own heart." And because of his position in God, he was able to slay giants and reaped the benefit of God's protection when Saul was out to kill him.
When your heart is broken and hurting, focus on the Creator of your heart. With God, you can slay the giants you face. With God, "all things are possible." Matthew 19:26 With God, your heart can be healed, because His word says, "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
The more pain we suffer, the more opportunities we have to draw near to the Lord, hear from Him, and experience His love. And, man, does he love us!
Father, I thank you for being a God of healing. I thank you for binding up wounds and making our hearts new. I thank you for making all things new. I thank you for making me new. I pray for anyone reading this that needs to experience your love and healing. I pray that you help them rebuke Satan and his voice. I pray that you help us all to separate the lies from the truth so that we can live life with the fruits of your spirit. I thank you for not allowing weapons formed agains us to prosper. I thank you that we get stronger with every trial we face. Thank you, God, for loving us like no one else is capable of loving. In Jesus' name. Amen.
