It’s never a pleasant experience when people hurt you. Why? Because it simply hurts.  The sad truth is that as long as you live with people, they will hurt you. But the good news is, instead of letting hurtful situations leave you and the other hurting, you can use these opportunities to make the best of them.

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.