Hurt, But Not Destroyed

 


As I scrolled through Facebook this week, a story stood out to me. I won't get into all of it, but to mention a famous author confessed  to having a long-standing moral failure. Of course, social media is blowing up with those who have taken the side of disillusionment and hurt, while others stand on the side of grace. I will be addressing something entirely different. Our world is broken. When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, they had to carry a weight they were never meant to carry- the knowledge of what life is like without God. Their choices separated them from the holy presence of a good Father. When Christ came to this earth, He came to bridge the gap between our holy God and our own poor choices by taking the sin and darkness of our negative choices on Himself. Let me explain it this way. My friend gave me a beautiful travel mug for Christmas. I always put my coffee in it. Although my coffee resides within, the only thing you see is the designer label covering the mug. The coffee remained, but you could no longer see it. When Christ gave His life on the cross, my poor choices and sin may be there, but the innocent and pure blood of Christ shed on the cross covers it, so that God only sees Christ, much like the cover of my cup. I am made pure by Christ. This means I no longer need to carry the weight of a life without God. I can rest in the goodness of a faithful God. This does not mean the world is unbroken. Christ did not come to repair a broken world or system. He came to heal the hurt of a broken people. What does this mean? It means whether someone chooses to sin or hurt me does not stop my ability to live life with the knowledge of the goodness of God. There will be poor choices made. There will be pain. However, my walk with God is founded on that goodness, not the goodness of man. God has never let me down. Why would I blame Him for man's choices, especially when He never intended us to feel life without Him? Social media may expose man's poor choices, but it doesn't change the love or goodness of God.

Have a great week high-heeled warriors!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

After Brain Surgery

Image
  On the 26th of June, my daughter celebrated 7 years past brain surgery when she had her left hippocampus and amygdala removed. Due to chronic and frequent seizures, we faced a decision no parents want to make. Do we let her continue on maximum medication that didn't work and see her eventually lose more and more brain function or have the surgery and lose part of her brain but possibly become seizure-free? We fully believed in God's ability to heal, but we also recognized that He showed His faithfulness in the storm, not just stopping the storm. So we prayed. For weeks, I prayed for wisdom and God's direction. When we met with her neurologist, my daughter stepped up and said she had peace about the surgery, so we proceeded. The neurosurgeon, who happened to move to our state from Boston just 2 years before, was highly skilled and had mastered the exact procedure that would be needed to help heal my daughter. He performed the surgery with no complications. Now, seven year...
Read more

When the Unexpected Comes

Image
As my family settled down after the holidays, I received unexpected news that my father was rushed to the hospital. I drove down to sit with my mother at the hospital as he recovered. While sitting, I thought about the goodness of God. No matter the outcome in any of our situations, we have hope that all will be well. My mother mentioned that an acquaintance was waiting in the waiting room while she was at the ER. The woman's husband had been brought with chest pains. Unfortunately, he did not make it. My father will be going home in a few days, although the future is still unsure. We may not always know or like the outcome, but no matter what happens God's goodness remains the same. Those who call on the name of Jesus will be saved. This life is not the end. It's the starting point of an eternity with the one who loves you more than you could ever imagine. And one day, each of us will have the opportunity to see fully the price He paid to show us that love. What that me...
Read more

Leaving a Lasting Impact

Image
  This was a hard weekend. A dear lady who has attended our church for the seventeen years we have pastored died. We held her funeral on Saturday. When we moved to our church, our children were all very little. Both sets of grandparents lived hours away, and I felt very much on my own. This woman recognized the struggles and stepped in as designated grandma. She picked my girls up from school, baked cookies with them, and took them along on many of her family birthday parties. She became what they desperately needed. So much so, they made sure she was on the family row at high school graduation. She didn't do this with just my children. She saw every child that walked through the church door as a child worthy of love and her devotion. When faced with difficulty, she always had kind words to say, no matter how she was treated. This woman was a mentor and someone who's qualities I hope to reflect in my own life. I have no doubt where she is spending her eternity, and I can guar...
Read more