Genesis 41-42
Matthew 12:1-23
“…when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted himself to Him who judges justly. ‘He Himself bore our sins’ in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.” 1 Peter 2:23-24
A congregant once asked a pastor, “What’s the best thing about church?” The pastor responded, “The move of God. The power of God. The presence of God. And, aside from that, the people.” The congregant then asked, “What is the most challenging, the most difficult thing about church?” The pastor was quiet, and then he replied, “The people.” When the church first gathered in Acts 2:42-47, there was great joy, harmony and unity, but it did not take long until tension started to arise. Why? Because while we have the capacity to do beautiful, God honouring and fruitful things, we also have the capacity to do things that are antithetical to what God desires of us. This is most clearly seen in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and sin came into the world. From then, not only was the relationship between God and humanity severed, humans also experienced problems, frictions and conflict with each other because of sin.
Sometimes, conflict between people can lead to feelings of resentment. What is resentment? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “resentment” as “a feeling of indignant displeasure or persistent ill will at something regarded as a wrong, insult, or injury.” The words “wrong, insult or injury” are all broad words defining something called “hurt.” We have all experienced being wronged, insulted or injured by others, whether knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or unintentionally. On some level, we can relate to the hurt that we have experienced and probably inflicted on others too.
We may have heard it said, “Hurt people hurt people.” In seminary professor, certified spiritual director and retired family therapist Dr. Sandra D. Wilson’s book, Hurt People Hurt People: Hope and Healing for Yourself and Your Relationships, she writes, “Hurt people hurt others because they themselves have been hurt. And each one of us has been hurt to one degree or another. As that damage causes us to become defensive and self-protective, we may lash out at others. Hurting becomes a vicious cycle.” Yet, we are not without a solution as Wilson points, “But God can help break that cycle. He offers His healing and hope.”
God sent His Son, Jesus, into this world as Isaiah 53:5 tells us, “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Jesus made the way to restore our relationship with God, with the rest of humanity.
As Christians on this earth, we are not immune to feeling hurt from others, but because of what Christ has done and His Spirit within us, we can break the vicious cycle of hurting.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for making a way to restore my relationship with God and with the rest of humanity. Help me to break the vicious cycle of hurting You, myself, and others.