The Blog
Have you ever heard the expression, “Hurt people hurt people”? When someone hurts us, it’s human nature to want revenge and hurt them back. When someone offends us, it’s tempting to avoid them at all costs. Perhaps your response tends to be more direct and intentional. Maybe you’ve responded with hateful words and gossiped about people who have hurt you.
Our pain and hurt often become the motivation behind our actions. And when that happens, we end up continuing a destructive cycle of pain and unforgiveness.
Choose to break the cycle.
But Jesus calls us to something that goes against the grain of our gut reactions and cultural norms—something life-giving. In the midst of our painful encounters, Jesus calls us to love our enemies.
In fact, He repeats this call several times in Scripture (Matthew 5, Luke 6, Romans 12). The call to love your enemy sounds so simple and great . . . until it’s time to put that teaching into action. Few things could be more challenging!
Human beings tend to hold onto memories that remind us of our hurt. We replay the experience and relive the emotions. But as you probably know, this is a never-ending cycle that will weigh you down. Resentment and anger can sneak into your mindset, leaving little room for love and forgiveness. We’ve all been there. But there’s a better way to live.
Live beyond your wounds.
While it hardly seems possible to choose love in the midst of hurt, Jesus set the example for us during His time on earth. He was criticized, insulted, and even physically attacked when trying to minister to those around Him. He experienced the ultimate rejection—but He never fought back with His words or actions. He continued to love—to the point of crying out, “Father, forgive them” when suffering on the cross (Luke 23:34). Through His power, you can choose love and live beyond your wounds.
The Bible guides us through the difficult process of loving those we find impossible to love. If you’re interested in exploring what it looks like when hurt people don’t hurt people, we invite you to download the Yarrow app and dive into our Planted study Choosing Love. Together, we’ll walk through Scripture to see how we can begin a better cycle of loving others like Jesus loves us.
Download the Yarrow app today and discover how you can choose love in the midst of hurt.
