Healing For Hurting Relationships

Healing For Hurting Relationships

I want you to meet four people today. First let’s meet John. John is a young man who is in high school. John and his sister recently got into a knock down drag out fight over who would have control over the TV. Let’s meet Mary. She is a 40 yr old mother of three who was just recently divorced as her husband left her for another woman. Let me introduce you to Sharon. She is a young lady who grew up in a home where she was physically, emotionally, and sexually abused. Lastly let’s meet Mike. He just recently had a falling out with his best friend since childhood. All four of these people have different situations, but each of them has one thing in common. They are all in need of a healing for their hurting relationships. Let’s Pray!

I’d like to ask a question today! How many here have ever been hurt by someone(please raise hand)? How many of us have hurt someone before(That’s a little harder to admit)? Whether were willing to admit it or not, we have all at some point been affected by hurting relationships. Young or old big or small this has touched us all. Your hurt could be the result of some broken relationship that occurred years ago. It could also be one incident that occurred yesterday or this morning(on way to church). Both need healing for a hurting relationship.

When we look at hurting relationships we must look at what causes hurting relationships. What causes hurting relationships? Of course we live in a fallen world, and as a result of sin coming into the world through Adam and Eve disobeying God this has affected us today. Although I will not directly focus on this today we must realize because we live in a world where people choose to disobey God, this is the foundational cause for our hurt and pain today.

There is another thing that causes hurting relationships. It is also a result of the first answer I gave. It is our wrong view of love. Our wrong view of Love. For example, I have known several people who have walked out on long time marriages because they say they are in love with another woman. I ask you today is that really Love! I don’t think so!

Tina Turner highlights my point in her song: What’s Love got to do got to do with it, what’s love but a second hand emotion. What’s love got to do got to do with it, who needs a heart when a heart can be broken. If she was singing about her and Ike, love had nothing to do with all the beatings she took from him. And love isn’t just a second hand emotion! Love is not just an emotion. Love is also an action. Love is more than an emotion it is an action word.

Today were going to look at what true love is all about and this we will see is a key ingredient to healing hurting relationships. Turn with me to the love chapter 1 Corinthians 13 so we can see true love. This particular chapter has been used for weddings more than anything. But this is really written in the context of Spiritual Gifts. It was written because Paul was trying to tell these believers in the Corinthian Church that no matter what your Spiritual Gifts are, Love is the most important. Many were comparing gifts, boasting about having certain gifts, and thinking they were more spiritual because they had a certain gift. Paul was telling them that Love is the key for harmony and healing in the church. For the sake of our learning today we will explore this chapter in the context of relationships in general.

Particularly, we will look at verses 4-8. Let’s start with the first part of verse 4. Love is patient. UH-OH! Patience is the capacity to endure hardship, difficulty or inconvenience without complaint. Patience emphasizes calmness, self control, or the willingness or ability to tolerate delay. You know why patience is in the Bible because God knew some things and some people were going to get on our nerves. Picture one of those days you come home from a long day at work, the kids are all over the place. Then they all try to get your attention all at once. Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! You know what will keep you from blowing your stack-PATIENCE. I’m tempted to lose my patience when helping my son with his homework. What I have learned is that I need to be thinking on verse 4. Love is Patient. What does God say about your patience? Before yelling out you stupid so and so in traffic, be patient and thank God you avoided an accident! Do you truly Love? Love is patient!