Tuesday, September 17, 2013

God’s Glory From A Hurt

A HURT, a significant part of our emotional history, is more likely to take us away from God than to God, because of pride. The truth is, at this time, we cannot handle the truth – to coin the Jack Nicholson phrase out of A Few Good Men (1992).
A case in point from my own life: at an inappropriate time in my life, having just married, and having also recently dealt with a brief bout of depression, I distinctly felt what I thought was the call of God prompt me to apply for a ministry position that I was actually already involved in. When my application wasn’t considered I became quite instantly resentful. Even though it wasn’t the right time for me I was insisting that it was the right time – actually because of other fears. What I felt was the call of God wasn’t actually the call of God at all – though I couldn’t see it at the time. We know it is the work of the enemy when we begin to see things purely from our own viewpoint. During this time I felt no one supporting me, because, quite frankly, it was plain to the people closest to me – it was wrong for me; the situation, my mode of operation, and even the thoughts I was thinking. It was all about hurt. I became consumed by it. “How could they not see it,” was my prevailing thought.
But God always has something better in mind if we are even vaguely looking to cooperate with his will. And I was.
Out of such a season of being hurt was birthed the writing ministry that continues today – and, to this point, this latest article. God used the situation of my hurt, and, in allowing me to remain involved in active Christian ministry, I was given the opportunity to come around to the truth that I once just could not handle. God’s grace was gentle and generous in helping me to a point of recognition. God created something that I hadn’t even dreamt about beforehand. God actually used my method of writing to help me, by his Spirit, to heal myself.
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God’s glory is made manifest out of the processing of a hurt in the honesty of our courage and God’s grace as we overcome our pride. Grace helps us approach the truth we previously could not handle. Grace facilitates healing, because he gifts us enough courage to be honest about our human weakness.
© 2013 S. J. Wickham.

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