Hurting is painful. When I have gone through suffering, my human desire
is to move on as quickly as possible. But God may have other plans. He
certainly doesn't desire for me to stay buried in that pain. He wants me
healed from it. But He never wastes my hurt. He longs to use the pain
I've experienced—the things that I regret—the highs and the lows—the
fears and the failures—the very things I want to hide from—to help
others. He wants my life open so others might find freedom from their own pain, and I might discover healing for mine.
Being open is a very hard place to be! I want to build a wall to
protect myself from my own pain. But building a wall doesn't protect me.
It imprisons my heart. My wall turns my heart into a heart of stone
because, in closing myself off, I have shut out the Holy Spirit.
However, when I allow that wall of false protection to tumble down, the
Lord turns my pain into victory. “I'll give you a new heart, “the Lord
promises, “and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your
heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).
A heart that yields completely to the Holy Spirit is a heart of tender
“spiritual flesh”. It is a heart that is malleable, vulnerable, and not
afraid of the pain that often accompanies healing. It is a heart that is
ready to face the hurt of the past or the present head-on, and allow
the Holy Spirit to do whatever is necessary. Willing to deal with
whatever must be dealt with, this heart trusts that the Lord who has
exposed the pain is capable of healing all that has caused it.
"Now the Lord is the Spirit,” Paul imparts, “and where the Spirit of
the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). The Holy Spirit
will liberate me from any pain, or fear, but I must be willing to open
my life and my heart. In my willingness to be vulnerable, His Spirit
will be free to heal me. There will be no wall of false protection. I
will experience His healing. Others who hurt will share in my walk, and
be inspired to open their own hearts to His healing presence. He never
wastes my hurt. He uses it for His glory.
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