A thought by Christine Caine from her book, Unexpected: Leave Fear Behind, Move Forward in Faith, Embrace the Adventure (p. 87). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
But it does happen, yes it does?
Christine says, “People fail us—and we fail people—repeatedly. It happens in our childhood and continues all the way through our adulthood. Our lives are intertwined with everyone around us—just as God designed—but we are all a part of a flawed humanity. None of us ever arrives, so it stands to reason that every time we open our hearts to one another, every time we’re thrown together into each other’s worlds, we will, quite possibly, hurt one another.
“Whether it occurs in our dating, marriage, work, or friendships, it is going to happen. I’ve heard so many stories from women who started out their careers full of enthusiasm and talent only to be devastated by life-altering criticism that postponed or derailed their success. They didn’t know how not to believe everything someone in a position of authority said and how not to let it define who they were. So they minimized their talent and settled for a less fulfilling position. They believed the lies that they were not smart enough, not gifted enough, not savvy enough.”
She goes on, “I’ve listened to stories from women who married the love of their life only to have the marriage eventually crumble. Because of all the hurtful words thrown at them, they believed they were a failure and that they were unworthy of a loving relationship.
She then says, “Just because we experience failure, it doesn’t make us a failure—but that’s hard to process when we don’t know how.”
She says, “We’ve never forgotten those times when we lost our peace, joy, and hope and sometimes our vision, passion, and purpose. Unexpected emotional wounding is so deeply painful because it is . . . unexpected. It hits when our defenses are down, and our trust levels are up. How critical then to understand that even when people leave us and hurt us, God never leaves us nor forsakes us. (Deuteronomy 31:16, Hebrews 13:5) He understands what it feels like to be kicked in the gut, to have the wind knocked out of us—and he cares. He promises to be there for us and to help us. ‘If your heart is broken,’ writes the psalmist, ‘you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath’ (Psalm 34:18 MSG). Even when people are unfaithful, God is always faithful.”
He is faithful, He really does care and He really does understand. So would you reach out to Him and let show you that he understands and that He cares? Would you reach out to Him?
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