As little girls growing up at home, we always knew that if our brothers or sisters got out of line that we could go tattle on them to dad. What dad would usually tell us is that he would handle it. We knew that dad would and that our siblings would get the talking-to that they needed especially since we had already tried to work things out with them without success.
It causes me to think about those of us who have been wounded by others. We seem to forget, as adults, that we all have been wounded by someone whether they are siblings or not. I know that God has given us the ability to go to the people who have wounded us and work things out with them, but some cases are just too complex…too complex for our human flesh. Too often, we just walk away and give up on reconciliation thinking the other person is too arrogant or not willing to compromise. It can cause us to be bitter. AND it can cause us to turn against God.
Somewhere in our break into independence from our fathers we forget that they still have the power to help us in our time of need. While in this physical realm our earthly fathers only have so much ability in our adulthood, we forget that our spiritual Father (God) has the ability to do so much more. In this physical realm, we would never turn on our fathers as the result of what a brother or sister would do, so why would we ever turn against God?
So many wounded souls have turned against God, our spiritual father, because someone wounded them. There is much more to it than that, though. We had an expectation, outside of Gods character, that would help us to succeed in revenge, or some other expectation. It is in our nature to want others to pay a great price for injustice committed against us. I’m am not referring to those who have committed a crime. I am referring to people who have wounded souls believing that, as a result, they have stood firmly in their faith. Those people have been challenged in their faith, so they might believe that someone is a threat to them. ALL of us have been wounded, but for some reason we all tend to feel that ours is worse than others. We all have struggled in our faith as we learn to journey with God. The main thing that we need to realize is that this is not God wounding us but normal, everyday wounded souls, just like us, who are doing the wounding. We pay too much attention to what others are doing instead of what God is doing. As a result, we lose faith in God, because we have taken our eyes off of Jesus, the very one who demonstrated a love that has held the test of time.
Thinking again about our earthly father, why would we turn against that loving father when others who say they love them are just as wounded as you are. It’s easy for us to hurt others when we are hurting ourselves. Just observe someone who deals with back pain every day. They tend to be, at least, a little crabby. They aren’t loved any less that you by the father. So, why, then should someone turn against the heavenly father? We need to realize that our relationship with God IS PERSONAL and has nothing to do with others.
We must learn to live with others in this world and realize that no matter their faults, God loves them too. Because, frankly, we are all wounded people seeking relief from our pain. What ultimately helps is not us turning our backs on God but rather leaning more upon him. We need our heavenly Father, especially in these times that we are in. Lean in toward the Father. Climb up onto his lap and tell him all that your struggle with. Ask him to heal your wounds and those who have hurt you. Just remember this: Reaching out to God is something we do despite what people say or do.
Go forth and be blessed, my friend.
Check out Cynthia’s book below:
The Truth About Being A Woman 