Colossians 3.12–17
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones,
holy and beloved, compassionate hearts,
kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
13 bearing with one another and,
if one has a complaint against another,
forgiving each other;
as the Lord has forgiven you,
so you also must forgive.
14 And above all these put on love,
which binds everything together
in perfect harmony.
15 And let the peace of Christ
rule in your hearts,
to which indeed you were called in one body.
And be thankful.
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It never ceases to amaze me how much I can hold onto things that have hurt me from the past. I can have a hundred nice things said to me, but it’s the one negative attack or unfair criticism that gets played on repeat in my head. I can think of the many times I have felt betrayed or rejected, or the times I’ve been gossiped about, and those events attempt to take up permanent residency in my mind.
What’s worse is the long-term effect it has on me. When I am hurt, I create new defense mechanisms; I do what I can to protect myself from these things so they never happen again. I might not let others come into my life in a particular way in my attempt to not be hurt like that in the future. I may give people the silent treatment, or I might speak poorly about them to others as a way of vindicating myself in the court of public opinion.
But these kinds of responses are often me simply trying to be God. If He doesn’t punish them, then I will! I’ll find a way to make them pay for their wrongdoing, rather than entrusting them to the Lord. I’ll find a way to prove myself as being right, and find a way for others to know it. Or maybe I will self-protect because I don’t believe that the Lord will protect me. I will shut others out or avoid certain situations because I don’t trust that God will be able or willing to help me. But I know that I must cast these cares and past hurts to Him and truly let Him be the Lord of my past, present, and future.
Getting over a painful event
is like crossing monkey bars.
You have to let go at some point
in order to move forward.
-C.S. Lewis
Letting go of past hurts is difficult, but the Gospel shows me that by holding on, all I’m really doing is letting my fear, bitterness, or other people control me, rather than submitting myself to the control of my loving and all-wise Father. The Gospel reminds me that I can be free from the control of hurt and bitterness, because the cross not only covers my sin, but the sins and shortcomings of others.
Read Again Out Loud and Make it into a Prayer:
Colossians 3.12–17
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Personalize and Read or Pray Aloud:
Psalm 46.1–11
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear
though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved
into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains
tremble at its swelling.
Selah
4 There is a river whose streams
make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her;
she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought
desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
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Pray Aloud:
Father, be glorified in __________ ,
let Your Kingdom and will be done,
in and through __________
as it is in Heaven.
Give _________ daily bread,
and thank You for Your forgiveness.
Help me to forgive others,
as I know that You have forgiven me.
Keep __________ eyes fixed
on You and Your Word
so that _______ may not sin against You.
Thank You for Your sovereign love.
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