06/10
A Healthy View of Hurt
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Hebrews 12:1-11
Hebrews 12:1-11
One of the most destructive things about hurt, pain, or trauma isn't always the event or circumstance itself, but our perspective and memory of it. How we dwell and think about something in our past can either be healthy, or unhealthy. Your thoughts can either lead you to a dark place, full of anxiousness, shame, and depression, or our thoughts and how we think of hurt can actually help us to become more healthy and more like Christ. Today, we want to show you a new and healthier perspective on pain and change the way we look at hurt. This simple shift in our minds can be the difference between hurt being the catalyst that causes great destruction or hurt being the catalyst that draws you into a strong and healthy dependence on your loving father.
In the first few hundred years of the early church, many Christians were at first intimidated, lied about, slandered, and verbally abused by the pagan Roman government. Then, that persecution intensified and led to Christians being arrested, beaten, and thrown into prison. When that did not stop the gospel from spreading, Christians were rounded up, tortured, burned alive, and fed to lions in arenas where Roman citizens could watch and cheer. The most painful part of this whole experience, perhaps was the betrayal that began to happen within Christian communities. People were paid to infiltrate the underground church, posing as Christians and gaining trust, only to later betray the Christian community, naming names and telling Roman officials who were Christians, and who their children and families were. This led to Rome forcing fathers and mothers to watch their children being tortured or killed, and being told they could save them if only they would recant and reject Jesus as Lord. If you could only imagine the pain, hurt, and betrayal swirling in the minds of Christians, it must have been immense. The burden of holding unforgiveness and bitter anger in your heart would have been incredibly strong. This is the perspective and context of the writing of the book of Hebrews, both as a primer for what was happening at the time of its writing, very early in the persecution process before the point of shedding of blood, and also for the few centuries after when persecution would greatly increase.
It's important to note that the persecution was not caused by God. God is a loving father who weeps when we weep, and promises to rescue us. Although God’s character is loving and merciful, He does remind us that we do live in a fallen world for now and in this fallen world sin does run rampant and cause pain. God does allow this pain to touch us sometimes, but not without using that same pain for our good and to glorify Himself. So why is it important for the disciples to see this persecution as refinement and not punishment you may ask? The reason for this is that if they saw hardship as refinement, they could hold a healthier picture in their minds of a loving father helping them move, grow spiritually, and be stronger. This change in perspective helped to produce endurance to hold on to Christ during great persecution even when nothing else made sense around them. Just like us, the disciples most likely struggled with offense, anger, frustration, and confusion, but they did not let those emotions, however justified, define their actions in honoring God.
Now what is the lens in which you are viewing your struggle or offense? Are you content with living in the pain and bitterness, or are you ready to take the steps to think about how you can learn through this and grow spiritually? This looks like small steps everyday to conform to the mind of Christ. Taking a Biblical perspective even when you have been hurt and are justified in your anger or offense is brave and courageous. Learning to shift your view from seeing difficult situations through a negative or bitter lens to one that sees what good can come from even a horrible situation. Let this experience be something that grows your love for God and not something that causes you to back away from God, the Church, and a healthy Biblical community. Don’t give up because you are experiencing hardship. Think instead and dwell on what it is producing in you and how it will lead to greater righteousness, holiness, and peace in your life.
In the first few hundred years of the early church, many Christians were at first intimidated, lied about, slandered, and verbally abused by the pagan Roman government. Then, that persecution intensified and led to Christians being arrested, beaten, and thrown into prison. When that did not stop the gospel from spreading, Christians were rounded up, tortured, burned alive, and fed to lions in arenas where Roman citizens could watch and cheer. The most painful part of this whole experience, perhaps was the betrayal that began to happen within Christian communities. People were paid to infiltrate the underground church, posing as Christians and gaining trust, only to later betray the Christian community, naming names and telling Roman officials who were Christians, and who their children and families were. This led to Rome forcing fathers and mothers to watch their children being tortured or killed, and being told they could save them if only they would recant and reject Jesus as Lord. If you could only imagine the pain, hurt, and betrayal swirling in the minds of Christians, it must have been immense. The burden of holding unforgiveness and bitter anger in your heart would have been incredibly strong. This is the perspective and context of the writing of the book of Hebrews, both as a primer for what was happening at the time of its writing, very early in the persecution process before the point of shedding of blood, and also for the few centuries after when persecution would greatly increase.
It's important to note that the persecution was not caused by God. God is a loving father who weeps when we weep, and promises to rescue us. Although God’s character is loving and merciful, He does remind us that we do live in a fallen world for now and in this fallen world sin does run rampant and cause pain. God does allow this pain to touch us sometimes, but not without using that same pain for our good and to glorify Himself. So why is it important for the disciples to see this persecution as refinement and not punishment you may ask? The reason for this is that if they saw hardship as refinement, they could hold a healthier picture in their minds of a loving father helping them move, grow spiritually, and be stronger. This change in perspective helped to produce endurance to hold on to Christ during great persecution even when nothing else made sense around them. Just like us, the disciples most likely struggled with offense, anger, frustration, and confusion, but they did not let those emotions, however justified, define their actions in honoring God.
Now what is the lens in which you are viewing your struggle or offense? Are you content with living in the pain and bitterness, or are you ready to take the steps to think about how you can learn through this and grow spiritually? This looks like small steps everyday to conform to the mind of Christ. Taking a Biblical perspective even when you have been hurt and are justified in your anger or offense is brave and courageous. Learning to shift your view from seeing difficult situations through a negative or bitter lens to one that sees what good can come from even a horrible situation. Let this experience be something that grows your love for God and not something that causes you to back away from God, the Church, and a healthy Biblical community. Don’t give up because you are experiencing hardship. Think instead and dwell on what it is producing in you and how it will lead to greater righteousness, holiness, and peace in your life.
TODAY'S CHALLENGE
Maybe you are struggling to see this season of healing from a Biblical perspective, that is okay, but don’t stay there! Take some time this week to pray, seek wise counsel or a trusted friend, and address the wounds that may still not be healed. Write down two practical next steps that you can implement into your day to day to start to see healing.