Hey family! I hope that you all are doing well! I simply want to say thank you for your consistency to reading my posts. I have a couple big things coming up in my life so stay connected to my social media platforms to find out more. This week blog post is dedicated to church hurts. I am a Pastor’s kid so I have been in church all my life. Being in such close proximity to the church community has been a learning experience. You get to see people true character! I have had my own fair share of church hurt. Experiencing church hurt caused me to have the wrong perception of God. Something I had to learn about church hurt is that being hurt by the church is not the same as being hurt by God. The church is more than the building where worship takes place. We are the church. The church is a gathering of imperfect people who love a perfect God. As imperfect humans, it is almost expected that we will hurt each other. Church hurt simply translates to being hurt by people who happened to go to church. I started to heal from church hurt when I realized that I was not hurt by God, I was simply hurt by imperfect people. I was hurt by people who need the love of God in the same way that I do.
It is important to remember that the church is a hospital. Some people may only have a slight headache while some may be on life support. It is important that we extend grace to others. A lot of those who hurt you may have also been hurt by other so we need to pray and support each other. Some of those people who hurt you may not necessarily have a bad heart but their actions are not perfect either. Even Jesus experienced church hurt! Jesus was betrayed by Peter 3 times and Peter was a disciple. It is important to note that just because someone might hurt you does not mean that they are not assigned to your life.
Church hurt should not have the power to drive us out of the church because you are a valuable part of the body of Christ. The ironic thing about church hurt is that the same place that hurt you is the only place that has the power to heal you. James 5:16 says that we should confess our sins to each other and pray for each other so that we can be healed. There is healing that comes when we confess and pray for each other. Do not isolate yourself from the body because we need each other. The enemy thrives in our isolation so it is imperative that you remain connected to the body of Christ. Hebrews 12: 12-13 says “Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.” You need to be strengthened by the church. Healing from church hurt takes place in church where you are surrounded by genuine believers.
I will be honest that although I have experienced some church hurt, I have also hurt some people while being in church. Recognizing that we are not perfect either enables us to forgive quickly. We forgive those who may have hurt us in church because Christ forgave us first. Although there are some people who may not have been truly saved and they intentionally hurt you while in church, we still have a responsibility to forgive. We begin to heal from church us by forgiving those who hurt us. Another way we heal from church hurt is by taking our feelings to God. Allow Him to bring wholeness to the damaged part of our hearts.
For anyone who has been hurt by church, I want to let you know that I love you. Most importantly, I want to let you know that God loves you. This post is not meant to dismiss your feelings as if they are not valid. I simply want to help you begin the first step to your healing. I am praying for you. The truth is that all Christians are not a reflection of those who hurt you. I am here for you and feel free to contact me and we can walk through this healing process together.