As a mature Christian, I knew how I was supposed to respond.

I was deeply hurt by the words someone spoke to me. I knew I shouldn’t let their words hurt me, but they did.

I didn’t show my hurtful feelings to the person and honestly, I was trying not to think about their painful words so that I wouldn’t have any bitterness towards this person.

While I tried my best to suppress the feelings, I also didn’t even bother to bring them up to God.

Why? Because I knew as a Christian, we shouldn’t get easily hurt or offended. I thought to myself, “Why bother God with this, I know what he’s going to say anyway.”

Shortly after saying that, tears started running down my face. As much as I didn’t want to admit I was in pain, I was in pain.

But it was in that moment when God opened my eyes to see that I’m human, and I’m not God. God never expected me to go through life perfectly without any emotions. He knows I’m not perfect, but that’s why I have a perfect God to lean on.

We are not perfect but we do have a perfect God to lean on. 

Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” The reality is we aren’t strong enough, but that’s ok because God is strong enough. If we could go through life perfectly strong, then why would we need God?

God never asked us to do things in our own strength but in His strength. He never expected us to go through life without needing his help and comfort. God wants us to come to him with our brokenness.

Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” God wants to be your place of refuge. A refuge is a place of shelter and comfort from trouble. God wants to be the place where you find comfort from the troubles this world may bring. There’s no better place to find healing and peace than going to God.

Where are you running to in the midst of trouble and pain? Are you allowing God to be your place of refuge and strength?

When we are faced with anxiety, anger, or hurt, we either run to something or we try to suppress the feelings by not bringing them up. We may think that forgetting our pain will do us no harm, but it actually will.

Suppressing our pains is like taking painkillers when we should be taking medicine. Painkillers will temporarily numb the pain, but it will never completely heal the pain. The pain will soon come to pass and in a larger capacity.

When we suppress our emotions, it will only get worse in time. Hiding our pains will not heal us, but bringing them to Jesus will. Bring your worries and hurts to Jesus and He will heal your pain and fill you with his peace.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Once I opened up my emotions to God, he comforted me with his words. His presence brought peace to my heart that was beyond my comprehension. I couldn’t understand how the pain went all away, but it did. Jesus brings a perfect peace that surpasses all understanding.

Will you open up your heart to God and allow him to speak life over your situation?

God can’t fix what you don’t give him. He can only heal those who are willing to come to him with their brokenness. Confess your struggles and weaknesses to God, because it’s only then that he can transform and strengthen you.

It’s ok to have weaknesses because it’s then that we can see God’s strength displayed in the midst of our shortcomings. God reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So remember, open up to God.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that I can come to you with my weaknesses and leave strengthened.

I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life – some were small ones, and some were big ones.  There have been moments when I would wish that I could go back in time and change my previous ways. I’m sure you have had those moments of walking down memory, wishing for this and wishing for that.

But the good news is, we don’t have to have helpless wishes to change our past because we have a God who has the capability to erase our past so that it no longer defines who we are.

Isaiah 43:25 says, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.“

How beautiful is this, that God himself is the one who blots out our transgressions. He chooses to cover our sins with the blood of Jesus, so that when he sees us, he no longer sees the sin in us, but sees the holy blood of Jesus covering us.

Even when we don’t deserve his love and mercy, he freely gives it all to us. He blots every offense we have made against him by the blood of Jesus.

God chooses to not see you as sinful so that you can be untied with him. That is what I call true love, forgiveness, and mercy. We don’t have to force God to forgive us, because he chooses to forgive us. Just as the verse says, he chooses to forget our sins for his name sake, so that his glory can be displayed in us.

God erases our past mistakes and sees us as a new and clean canvas with potential to display his beauty.

God doesn’t see you by what you did, but sees you as a clean canvas with potential to display his glory to this world. God chooses to give you mercy so that you can be transformed and free to live out the purpose he has made you for.

How many offenses have you made to God? You might have counted each offense you have done to God, but God does not count any of them as long as you confess your sins and change. Don’t stay guilty with your past mistakes, because even God himself sees them no more. 

We would never be worthy enough to carry the gospel and God’s glory to this world if it wasn’t for what Jesus did on the cross. For we all have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), but because God chose to sacrifice Jesus for us, we have been made right with him.

John 3:17 says, “For God did not send his son to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Whatever you have done or whatever you are going through, know that Jesus is never there to condemn you, but to give you hope and a way out so that you can live life to the fullest.

God has empowered you to live with no more shame. He has set you free not so that you can just waste your life away, but so that you can have another chance to pursue your God-given purpose in this world.

His mercy has the power to transform your life. He chose to blot out each mistake you have made so that you could have another chance to experience his love and fulfill your purpose in this life. Don’t let your past hold you down, because God has made a way for you to be free. So remember, you have a past that can be erased.

You might be thinking, what? It’s ok to be treated wrongly?

I was thinking just the same thing not too long ago. It happened at my work place in the midst of a busy week between one of my co-workers. He called me out in front of everyone, asking me for something that wasn’t even in urgent need or due till days later.

When I told him how I would not be able to get it for him by that day, his response was not what I had expected. His body language was rude, his request was absurd, and his response to me had no such kindness to it at all.

He ended the conversation with, “I’ll just do it myself, how hard could it be.”

In my mind I was thinking, “Is he really saying this? Does he have no respect at all for my schedule?” And it was at the end of his statement when I couldn’t take it anymore and blew up.

At that moment, I felt no guilt for my reaction because I believed I deserved to defend myself. I mean, he was the one in the wrong and I was in the right, so I had to have had the right to respond the way I did.

But that night, God took a hold of my heart and opened my eyes too see how he saw the whole situation. In my eyes, what I did was right, but in God’s eyes, what I did was exactly what the other person did–act wrongly.

I thought what I was doing was a moral right I had, which was true. The world could agree that it is right for someone to defend themselves when being treated wrongly. However, as followers of Christ, we are called to follow Christ’s example, and not the world’s.

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.“

God’s will is for his light to shine brightly and for his love to be shown to others through us. What I did that day at work went against the will of God. I conformed to the world and responded how any other nonbeliever would have responded.

What I failed to realize was how my actions that day took away Christ in me. I didn’t show Gods love, but only showed to my other co-workers that I was like any other person, a person who responds to the way they should be treated. I could have responded in grace and love, and that would have been an amazing opportunity for others to see a glimpse of Christ, but instead I took away a opportunity to reveal the beauty and power of Christ in me.

That day I learned that nothing is worth more than hurting the cause of Christ. Any action that hurts the cause of Christ is never God’s will, but Satan’s desire. Satan knows the impact that God’s love can bring, and he is willing to place a lie in our minds that acts of anger and unkindness are justifiable.

It was ironic because I had been praying for God’s light to shine upon my work place through me so that others may see his glory, however, Satan tried to stop God’s glory from shining that day by using my pride to block it.

We must remember that we are called to a greater purpose than what this world has to offer, and that is to point others to Jesus. The only way to point others to Jesus is to live as he lived. Jesus was spat upon and ridiculed, punished and whipped, yet he still responded in kindness and love. Jesus didn’t deserve any of the wrong treatments he experienced, but he never reacted in anger or wrongdoing.

He was forgiving and loving, an example that we all should follow. God calls for us to share the gospel and salvation to nonbelievers so that they may be saved, and that comes from living a life that shows Christ in us.

Don’t let a temporary incident hurt an eternal cause.

Let us be eternal minded, changing our perspective so that we focus on eternity rather then having a “at the moment” mentality. It can be easy to get caught up with what’s happening in front of us and let our emotions get through, but we must remember that salvation and eternal life is worth more than a temporary hurt.

If we see from God’s eyes, we can see that being treated wrongly is actually ok. It might seem bad to be treated wrongly, but it’s during these moments when Christ can really shine. When someone does good to you, its obvious for anyone to be loving and nice. But it’s during those underserving moments when we show God’s love that it shines the brightest. These moments are when Christ becomes evident in your life.

When people do wrong to you, take those moments as an opportunity to show God’s love. God’s love has the power to change the world and draw people to Christ. Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” So remember, it’s ok to be treated wrongly.

Just a couple days ago, I was really hurt by someone close to me. It definitely hurts more when it comes from someone who means a lot to you. The angry words that came out from their mouth pierced my heart. What was my response to this?

A defensive and harsh reaction.

I wanted to show them that they had no right of talking to me like that, and that I wouldn’t let their words hurt me.

But that’s the problem with most of us – when people hurt us, we try to toughen up to show that their words and actions can’t hurt us. But the fact is, not matter how tough we act on the outside, we will still find ourselves deeply hurt on the inside.

And there I was, trying to be all tough and defensive, yet found myself even more hurt.

I shared my struggles to a dear friend, expecting her to defend my hurts. But her words rather surprised me.

She said, “Show God’s grace, because even God loves us when we don’t deserve it.“

Showing God’s grace was the last thing on my mind, but she was right, moments like these are the best times to show what God’s grace and love truly mean.

We can use hurtful moments to show others of our sinful human nature, or to show the love of Jesus in us.

It takes a big heart to love people, but it takes an even bigger heart to love hurtful people. But it’s in these moments where we can make Jesus real in the midst of our hurtful situations. I could have continued to be mean and defensive to that close person of mine, but what good would that do?

It would only prove to them that my fleshly nature was dominant, and that Jesus’s love didn’t t exist in me.

As followers of Christ, we must follow how Jesus loved. He loved even when others didn’t deserve it. He was ridiculed, spitted on, rejected, and crucified, yet he loved. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.“

Jesus’s love wasn’t a love that was determined by his situation, but determined by his own heart. Our love to others should be determined by our heart, not our situation.

Choose love in everything you do. You might think that being tough and getting even will heal you, but it will only leave you hurting. The only thing that will heal you is love. Love produces grace and forgiveness that will heal you.

Grace means nothing when you give it someone who deserves it. The beauty of grace comes when it is given to those who do not deserve it. It’s in these moments when God’s love becomes real – to love even when it hurts. Love is what draws people closer to God. Love has power, it never fails and defeats all. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.“

Jesus’s love gives us the opportunity to use hurtful situations for his glory. The solution to a hurtful encounter is always love. So remember, when people hurt you, make the best of it.

Recently, I have been going through some difficulty with my website developer. Many things just went wrong with the website and at the end, he refused to fix the issues. I was beyond upset and felt that he deserved my bashing and lashing. In my mind, he was already on my bad list and I did not care about sending him mean replies.

“He deserved it“, I said to myself. Seeing his uncaring actions, how was it wrong for me to put him on my bad list? But it was at that moment when God spoke to me and said, “Do you deserve how I treat you?”

Do we deserve how God treats us? His love, grace, and mercy.. do we all deserve this? For it says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” This verse clearly shows us that none of us deserve God’s love and grace. But despite our great sins, God does not lash out on us or say mean things to us. He sees our hearts and welcomes us with his loving arms. He tries to fix us by showing his grace and love, and that is what we should do to everyone who we think deserves to be on our bad list.

In our eyes, those who hurt us do deserve to be on the bad list, but in God’s eyes, no one deserves to be left on that bad list. Jesus came to this earth to show us an example of how to live; are you following his way in loving others?

Do not treat someone the way they deserve to be treated because you are not treated by God in the way you should be treated.

When Jesus was crucified on the cross, he said, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). How could Jesus say that to those who killed him for his innocence?

Because Jesus saw their hearts, not their actions.

How can God still love us despite how much we have hurt him through our sins? Because he sees our hearts. God puts us in a vulnerable state so that he can love and save us from the doom of sin.

I chose to change my perspective with my website developer and see his heart, not his actions. His actions may seem hurtful, but I know that deep inside he never wanted to hurt me in the first place.

Let us show God’s love to others by looking at their hearts instead of their actions. It can be easy to let the harsh words and actions of others get to you, but look into their heart. If they knew what was truth and life, they would never have hurt you. They only did what they did because their hearts did not know what was the pure and right thing to do.

Instead of putting others on our bad list, pray for them and say the words Jesus spoke, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.” Put others in a vulnerable state so that you may be able to show them God’s full love. Bashing others will do no good, but when we show God’s love to others, we are helping them run to God.

Don’t let a harmful action block the chance for you to show God’s love, because then you are working for the enemy.

God’s great commandment for us all is to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). When you choose to look at people’s hearts and show them God’s love, you will find your life filled with more joy than putting them on your bad list.

No matter who you meet, sometime down the road they will hurt you. But will you let their hurtful actions stop you from pursuing the calling that God has for you? Forgive others so that you may be able to love them. So remember, look into the heart.