How To Overcome Hurts

1. Many people who suffer from mental, emotional, or social pain internalize their grief.

Anger begins when we feel hurt because of disappointments, frustrations, or the actions of another person. Instead of turning one’s rights, worries & expectations over to the Lord we tend to refuse to admit we are hurting & mull over it in our minds questioning why we have to suffer. Anger then builds inside of us & we feel the need to seek revenge. Others try to hide their feelings of anger & become depressed, ill, or allow destructive-negative emotions to wear them down. I Peter 5:7 says,

"Casting all your cares upon Him for He cares for you. Be watchful, be vigilant, your adversary the devil prowls around you like a roaring lion seeking whom He may devour."

Application: Make a choice to turn the controls of everything over to the Lord & He will heal, restore, protect, bless, enable, guide, mature, inspire, & empower you.

2. Anger at injustice is sanctioned by the scriptures, however do not let it rule your attitudes. "Be angry, but do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath." (Eph. 4:26)

Application: Learn to forgive & leave vengeance in the hands of the Lord. Do not be overcome evil, but overcome evil with good.

3. Consider all of the resources available to you through the Spirit of Jesus Christ. "Since you have encouragement from being united with Christ, comfort from His love, fellowship with the Spirit, tenderness & compassion then make my job complete by being like-minded with the Godly, have Christ like love, be one in spirit & purpose. Don’t do anything out of selfish or vain conceit.

"Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." (Phil 2:1-5)

4. Realize that you don’t have to understand why things happen to you, but you are called to know Him & the power of His resurrection & the fellowship of His sufferings. (Phil. 3:8)

"I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things." Deut 29:29 tells us that we don’t have to understand everything that happens to us except that the Lord has allowed these things for our good as long as we love God & are fitting into His purposes for our life through trust, service, & obedience to His divine will. God works in ways we cannot see, understand, or appreciate because He is transforming us into Christ likeness.

Application: He allows hurts to come into our lives so that we can grow into ALL aspects into Him who is the Head.

5. Thank & praise God for the trials, temptations, & difficulties that you face as they are working for you a far greater weight of glory. (James 1:2-4)

"Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature & complete not lacking anything."

Application: Our interpretation of hurts influences our reactions. We can choose to become better rather than bitter from our hardships.

6. Like Joseph, God allows hurts to come into our lives from some of our dearest friends & relatives for good reasons. Joseph was used of God to save his people from a terrible famine. God turned Joseph’s tragedy into a triumph as he was promoted to a position of great influence, power, & success.

Application: The Lord uses difficulties to produce in us greater purity, holiness, wisdom, maturity, hope, stability, insight, depth, endurance, vision, authority, expertise, communication skills, & identification with Jesus.

7. God uses hurts to point out areas of deficiency in our lives so we can improve. When the Corinthians criticized Paul he replied,

"I put no stumbling blocks in anyone’s path so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships & distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights & hunger… through glory & dishonor, bad report & good report; genuine, yet regarded as imposters; known yet regarded as unknown; dying & yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, & yet possessing everything (2 Cor 6:3-10)."

Application: Choose to see every criticism as an opportunity to objectively evaluate how the ministry can be enhanced for the qualitative & quantitative growth of His kingdom & righteousness (Matt 6:33). Learn not to take things to personally by realizing some people are just venting their anger.

8. Hurts help us appreciate rather than condemn each person’s unique perspective.