HOW TO HANDLE HURT IN THE BODY OF CHRIST
Faith Filled Thoughts
March 4th 2010
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HOW TO HANDLE HURT IN THE BODY OF CHRIST
PT 1
“bless those who curse you and pray
for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)
There was a time when a good friend of mine,
said she had been so hurt by the “Body Of Christ.”
I write this for my friend…JN
One sure thing that you will face in life, and yes, in church,
is that sooner or later, someone will offend you.
Many Christians will have occasion to be greatly offended by the words
and/or actions of other Christians.
How we handle these offenses has a profound impact on our spiritual advancement
and the progress of those around us.
All too often Christians become “stuck” in a place of being wounded
and become dysfunctional members of the Body of Christ.
Like it or not, people problems are one of your greatest opportunities
for spiritual advancement.
Relationship failures serve as a catalyst for spiritual growth
as the deep emotions of sorrow, anger, self-pity, bitterness, hatred, rage, vindictiveness, etc.
must be processed in healthy ways for our character to mature.
There is no way to avoid this process of maturation.
It does no good to guilt oneself by declaring,
“As a Christian I should not feel this way.”
All emotions, even negative ones, are God-given gifts
and are a part of what it means to be human.
The mature Christian does not necessarily have less anger
than the immature Christian.
The mature Christian has learned to process their anger in healthy
versus destructive and self-defeating ways.
Wounded people tend to fall into two general categories.
One group continues to replay the offense
and to recycle their negative emotions until
they build into waves of self-pity or crescendos of rage.
This is debilitating and can draw sympathizers deep into
the dysfunction of the wounded party.
The other group refuses to succumb to the nurse and rehearse syndrome and,
in the midst of personal pain, has the courage and fortitude
to seek a positive resolution to the problem.
This is both an emotional and intellectual process
that is a key dynamic to spiritual growth.
The Bible commands us, in many places,
to "love one another."
While most believers are well aware of these words,
acting upon them can be very difficult.
Obedience requires that we work through our negative emotions
to the point where we have gained the capacity to think
of the welfare of the offender regardless of what they have done.
This is a huge step forward. Compassion for the offender and
is one of the surest signs that God’s love has arrived on the scene.
We need to learn how to grow and walk in God’s love even in the worst of circumstances.
Love, in the biblical sense, is far more than an emotional feeling.
Love is a spiritual condition that allows us
to overcome the hatred and wrongs of others.
Jesus was filled with this kind of love when He declared from the cross,
“Father, forgive them.”
He exhorted his followers to demonstrate such love when he taught,
“bless those who curse you and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)
So Remember…
Love is a commitment towards others, even when it hurts.
May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KsfwvpcQhY&feature=related
There was a time when a good friend of mine,
said she had been so hurt by the “Body Of Christ.”
I write this for my friend…JN
One sure thing that you will face in life, and yes, in church,
is that sooner or later, someone will offend you.
Many Christians will have occasion to be greatly offended by the words
and/or actions of other Christians.
How we handle these offenses has a profound impact on our spiritual advancement
and the progress of those around us.
All too often Christians become “stuck” in a place of being wounded
and become dysfunctional members of the Body of Christ.
Like it or not, people problems are one of your greatest opportunities
for spiritual advancement.
Relationship failures serve as a catalyst for spiritual growth
as the deep emotions of sorrow, anger, self-pity, bitterness, hatred, rage, vindictiveness, etc.
must be processed in healthy ways for our character to mature.
There is no way to avoid this process of maturation.
It does no good to guilt oneself by declaring,
“As a Christian I should not feel this way.”
All emotions, even negative ones, are God-given gifts
and are a part of what it means to be human.
The mature Christian does not necessarily have less anger
than the immature Christian.
The mature Christian has learned to process their anger in healthy
versus destructive and self-defeating ways.
Wounded people tend to fall into two general categories.
One group continues to replay the offense
and to recycle their negative emotions until
they build into waves of self-pity or crescendos of rage.
This is debilitating and can draw sympathizers deep into
the dysfunction of the wounded party.
The other group refuses to succumb to the nurse and rehearse syndrome and,
in the midst of personal pain, has the courage and fortitude
to seek a positive resolution to the problem.
This is both an emotional and intellectual process
that is a key dynamic to spiritual growth.
The Bible commands us, in many places,
to "love one another."
While most believers are well aware of these words,
acting upon them can be very difficult.
Obedience requires that we work through our negative emotions
to the point where we have gained the capacity to think
of the welfare of the offender regardless of what they have done.
This is a huge step forward. Compassion for the offender and
is one of the surest signs that God’s love has arrived on the scene.
We need to learn how to grow and walk in God’s love even in the worst of circumstances.
Love, in the biblical sense, is far more than an emotional feeling.
Love is a spiritual condition that allows us
to overcome the hatred and wrongs of others.
Jesus was filled with this kind of love when He declared from the cross,
“Father, forgive them.”
He exhorted his followers to demonstrate such love when he taught,
“bless those who curse you and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)
So Remember…
Love is a commitment towards others, even when it hurts.
May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KsfwvpcQhY&feature=related
posted by Pastor Connie Ciccone | 8:21 AM
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