The Healing Process

SCRIPTURE

Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.

~Luke 10:30, NLT

QUOTE

The consequences of unwise choices or actions of hurtful people can create burdens or wounds that endure for a lifetime.

~Bill Crowder

When a subject comes up two days in a row, I assume God is trying to tell me something. I dealt with forgiveness in the message on Wednesday night and then it came up again Thursday morning. The LORD dealt with me before the sermon concerning my slowness to forgive. A part of forgiveness is letting go but I have struggled with letting go of some things that happened a long, long time ago. When I read Bill Crowder’s Our Daily Bread devotion yesterday, it stirred my mind and moved my heart. I decided to share some of my thoughts with you.

Jesus taught us in the story of the Good Samaritan that there are four kinds of people in the world: [1] Those who get hurt [man beaten by the robbers, Victims]. [2] Those who hurt others intentionally and without cause [robbers, the Vicious] [3] Those who are indifferent, those who could help but don’t care [Priest and Levite, the Vain] [4] Those who help and speed the process of healing [Good Samaritan, the Virtuous]. So whether your hurt involves divorce, abuse, drugs, abandonment, rejection, scorn or whatever: people do get hurt others, this is a fact of life. Sometimes the hurt is so bad that a Good Samaritan is needed. Had he not come along when he did, the man in the ditch would have died.

Sometimes this healing agent can be a spouse who loves unconditionally. Sometimes it can be a grandchild as in the case of Naomi. It could be a bible study group, a Sunday School class, a friend, a co-worker or a Christian counselor but pretending you’re not hurt is no solution and healing is a process that takes time.

I know you don’t like long blogs but this is for the hurting. If you are not hurting, do not read this section. If you are, let me give you some advice. It can be very embarrassing to admit that you have been hurt; especially if it happened during your childhood and by someone you trusted.  The rule of thumb is: [1] You’re healing depends on your honesty. The depth of your healing will go no deeper than the depth of your honesty. No, I do not recommend  you come to me or any preacher. I recommend a professional Christian counselor. I would be more than happy to help you find one. The number one reason for this is confidentially which you need for your protection. You may have a friend you can trust but be careful. Whether you were abused sexually, had an abortion, suffered a painful rejection or heartbreaking disappointment; you have to deal with what really happened or you will never recover. [2] There is no disgrace in being hurt or needing help. The man in the story [Luke 10] did nothing to deserve being robbed, stripped, and beaten. He was hurt so badly that he could not help himself. We all need help from time to time. If you want healing, don’t be afraid to get help. [3] Concentrate on your healing not justice for the robbers [brutal people who inflict hurt]. Turn the robbers over to the proper authorities. If someone robs me, I am not going to get my 12 gauge and go after them, this is not my job. I will allow he proper authorities to deal with them. Do not take the law into your own hands and try to make them pay. Most robbers [hurtful people] are never converted and they never change. They may never be sorry for what they did to you. The truth is: most offenders do not care that they hurt you. They don’t even think about you. You were just a bump in the road. Hurtful people move on to new relationships: they don’t pine over the human debris they leave behind. Forget them and focus on your healing. Healing involves honesty about the hurt and disengagement from those who did the hurting. You cannot forget the hurt but do your best to forget them. Turn them over to the proper authorities and walk away. Trust me, in the end, you will feel sorry for them. God’s mill rocks of justice turn exceeding slow but they grind exceeding fine.  The most liberating day of your life will be when you give HIM your hurts.

For the record, the above was written in the early hours of May 15th, long before the day unfolded.

• Seth graduates from lineman school this morning at 9:00 and Jeremy graduates PTA school tonight. It is a big day for the Bailey’s.
• Chloe Bug is back home, her mother is to arrive [God willing] in the early hours of the morning. It has been a week. I pretty much let her do whatever and I have created a beast. She has exhausted me this week. She has the energy of a Turrentine. She is a little machine and she has learned to climb and is not afraid of heights. I know why God does not allow older women to get pregnant: we older men couldn’t take raising a little one. I don’t know how Sarah and Abraham did it, that is raise a child.
• Visitation for the Maddox Family tonight at Peck 6:00-8:00: COLS tomorrow [Saturday] at Peck [11:00 am].
• Full lineup for Sunday: Deacon’s meeting at 8:00, LCBS 9:00, Worship Celebration at 10:15, WEE Care Graduation at 2:00 and AWANA graduation at 6:00 followed by Pizza Fellowship.