ARE YOU GUILTY OF HIDING THE HURT, PAIN AND SORROW IN YOUR LIFE?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. 
(Psalm 147:3)

MEDITATION:
Sadly, there are many people walking around broken, 
yet pretending they are okay. 
Instead of acknowledging hurt and seeking healing 
from the One who can give it, they try to ignore the pain. 
Instead of seeking professional help when needed, they bury the pain, 
and hope its hidden deep enough to not bother them again. 

But the pain never really heals; it often pops up when we least expect it. 
And when it does, it chips off another piece of us 
and affects our relationships and commitments. 
We can fool some of the people some of the time, 
but we cannot fool all of the people all of the time.
Others can detect when we are hurting, 
but often they are unsure of what to do to help us.

The truth is, none of us is as good as new. 
We are ALL broken in some way. 
We all have hurts we've buried and tried to move past. 
But that brokenness doesn't completely heal by itself. 

Problems don’t fix themselves.
A leaky faucet doesn’t just suddenly stop leaking.
Buttons don’t sew themselves back on to a shirt or jacket.
In every instance where something is broken, 
we have to attend to it with care.

Thankfully, there is good news for when we feel broken.
We serve a God who loves us and is able to heal and make us whole. 
He knows it's painful to deal with past hurts, but He's willing to help. 
While we will never be “good as new” until heaven, 
we can be emotionally healed here on earth. 

When we are broken, we need to pick up our broken pieces, 
carry them in tender hands and honestly present them to Jesus.
We need to stop pretending we are okay, when we are hurting.
It is an opportunity for expressing our faith in the Lord.
It may not be easy, and it will probably take time, 
but emotional healing is possible. 
After all, the One who conquered death can certainly mend our brokenness.

ACTION:
Are you struggling with past hurts?
If so, what are you doing about them?
Have you tried to heal them alone, 
or bury them away in an effort to forget them?
The Lord sees your pain and is ready to help you, but you must go to Him.

Visualize yourself broken and in tears in front of the Lord.
And then, picture Him reaching out with loving arms and giving you 
such a warm embrace (hug) that you can feel the pain leaving your body.
Suddenly the only thing that matters is to be held by Him and to feel His love.
That is what He offers to those who believe in Him 
and have surrendered their lives to Him.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for understanding the pain in my life 
better than anyone else, even though I struggle to express how deep 
the hurt has become. Help me to stop pretending it doesn’t exist and 
to bring my hurts and pains to You. Thank You for Your promises to 
help me in ways I cannot even imagine. Remind me that as my Heavenly 
Father, You want to help me and will give me exactly what I need when 
I need it. Forgive me for failing to bring my problems to You, but trying 
to deny they are there, or attempting to resolve them alone, without You. 
I've tried to hide them, even from You at times, but I won't any longer. 
Today I openly admit my pain and hurt, and ask You to heal me. Please 
give me wisdom to know other steps I need to take. Thank You for what 
You are going to do in me and through me.”

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