John 16:33 (NLT)
"I have told you all this so that you
may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and
sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."
Her words are so hurtful!”
Humans are not perfect. We make a ton of
mistakes and some of them are real doozies. This is never more true than in the
love department. In our significant relationships, we’re not going to get everything
right, and we’re not always going to end up on the winning side. Some of us
will experience the most hurtful disappointment we’ve ever endured. The targets
of our affection don’t always appreciate the love we’re giving, and when it’s
apparent that this person isn’t capable of reciprocating quality love, but instead
they are causing us more pain, we need to open our eyes to what is being
revealed. This person wasn’t sent by God and they’re not going to be the blessing
we desire for our lives.
I ran into an old acquaintance, and we talked for a
while. He began telling me about the difficulty he’s now having with his
fiancé. They’d gotten engaged a year-ago and have called off the wedding
twice in six-months. He loves her very much, but he said, “If she curses me
out one more time, I don’t know if I can move forward. Her words are so hurtful!”
This isn’t the way anyone should be treated. God isn’t pleased with this kind
of behavior. He commands us in Ephesians 4:32(NLT), “Instead, be kind to
each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ
has forgiven you.” Heavenly Father commands us to be kind to one another
because this is the way He is with us. His mercy and grace endure forever, and
He has shown us how much He loves us by giving His only begotten Son as a offering
for our sins. God’s kindness towards us is our example, and He expects us to
treat everyone this way, but we are to be especially kind to the person that
will walk with us through life.
The world we live in can be extremely harsh, mean, and
cold. The person we love should be creating a space that is a warm place for us
to land. We should feel safe in their company and not have to keep our guard up
the way we do in the world. Most people understand this, and when they can’t
bring themselves to model God’s tenderness and love, we
need to beware. There could be a darkness internally that they are refusing to
acknowledge or confront. If the love you’ve given them hasn’t yet motivated
them to change their behavior, it’s time to have a serious conversation with
God about your life and the decisions you need to make.
Many times, growing up, I’d hear my elders say, “When
you’ve done all you can do, trust in the Lord, and He will carry you through.” This
is now deeply imbedded in me, and it’s how I’ve learned to address problematic
situations. For years I tried to carry the weight of troublesome issues on
my back. In relationships, I took it upon myself to solder the inner turmoil of
the men I loved. I offered myself up for the brunt of their self-punishing
behavior, but this was not God’s Will for my life. He gave His Son to die so
that we can all be free. Galatians 5:1 (The Message) declares, “Christ has
set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put
a harness of slavery on you.”
Jesus Christ
tells us in Matthew 11:28-30(NLT), “28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of
you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my
yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and
you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the
burden I give you is light.” Our
Lord and Savior instructs us to give our burdens to him and let him bear the
heaviness of them. When we do this, we shouldn’t take them back. We are incapable
of carrying our burdens, they are too heavy. Giving them to Jesus is all we can
do, and once we’ve given him our burdens, we must have faith that he will take
care of the rest.
He also
tells us to take his yoke upon us. This means that we should be focusing on
learning more about Jesus Christ so that we can put on more of his example. It
means that we should never try to wear his yoke and someone else’s too. Jesus
Christ is humble and gentle; he is our everything, and he is medicine for whatever
ails us. He is our peace, and we need to let him heal our hearts, so that we love
from the place of his strength and reject anything and anyone that doesn’t love us from that place as well.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Jesus Christ Is Our Peace”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2022. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
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