Scars

Introduction

Proverbs 18:14 KJV 1900

14 The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; But a wounded spirit who can bear?

Isaiah 42:3 KJV 1900

3 A bruised reed shall he not break, And the smoking flax shall he not quench: He shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

Body

We read in scripture about God’s peace, God’s acceptance, He came to give us abundant life, but sometimes those seem a million miles away

We hear it preached, we see it in scripture, we know it to be true, that the Christian’s life ought to be filled with peace, love, joy, contentment, purpose. And yet, sometimes our lives seem to be filled with anything but. We can feel worthless, rejected, bitter, we’re fearful and depressed, and we feel unloved.

How do we rationalize the dissonance? How can we reconcile the two; the promised life we read about in scripture vs. the actual life we’re living right now?

Why do we have these feelings as born-again Christians?

Did you know that people in our lives have let us down? People have hurt us.

The closer they were to us the more it hurt

Love is vulnerability

These hurts, these wounds in our spirits, are oftentimes unresolved

We’re embarrassed that we’re feeling this way - I’m not spiritual enough to overcome these feelings

We don’t want to deal with them, so we lock them away

It’s just too hard, too painful to unpack and work through

Have you ever overreacted to a situation?

Got angry when no anger was really called for?

Got frightened when there was really nothing to be afraid of?

Who hurt you?

Mom or Dad?

Spouse?

Child?

Friend or Mentor?

How do we free ourselves from the trauma?

First, understand that Jesus did come that we might have abundant life. It’s never God’s intention for us to suffer

Nation of Israel - God intended to bless His people

He oftentimes couldn’t though due to disobedience or unbelief

Is this why I’m in this situation? Then repent and get right with God

Second, God can use this situation for your good and His glory

These wounds can serve to draw us closer to God

They can serve to make us more like God

Thirdly, understand that you’re not weak or lesser because you’re struggling with hurts

We don’t think of people as weak because they get sick

People react differently to different situations, but we’re all people.

Lastly, although people can and will disappoint us, hurt us, God never will

The first thing we need to do is understand exactly what happened

Why don’t you feel loved?

Why don’t you feel worthy of friendships?

Why are you angry all the time?

Why do you perceive every comment as an attack?

Once you know who hurt you, then you need to FORGIVE THEM

Like the monkey that grabs the nut and can’t get his hand free

He’s got to let the nut go to get free

Conclusion

Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it. — Helen Keller

As we go through life we get hurt. We get scars. That’s life. But it’s God’s intention that we move past them and we can!