Hurt People Hurt People!

Hurt people hurt people. Another way of saying this is victims beget victims.  But it goes deeper than that, because hurt people hurt themselves, some intentionally and others unintentionally but the effects are devastating on so many levels.  In that sense, no of us is "innocent".

Think of the loss of peace, diminished relationships, fighting, misery and I haven't event got started yet. Is this the "monkey on your back" that is stealing your time and energy and stopping you from living the life you desire? Just how much toll does constant fighting, divisiveness and defensiveness take on an individual?  It is immeasurable.  When we stop long enough to really think about it, is this not the devil at work?  How else does the devil work but to divide and conquer?  Remember the scripture said the battle is not against flesh and blood, but ......... so is this a spiritual wickedness?  If unforgiveness is such a very strong negative force that it causes your body to turn on itself then it must be, what do you think?

 

Hear is the real irony in the matter - sometimes we are so wrapped up in ourselves and the toxicity of turmoil, bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness that we cannot even see how much we are hurting ourselves.  If there is just a little opening for the light of Jesus Christ to shine in though, there is hope.
An individual has got to be at a point in life though where they have a deep desire to be happy and healthy and free mentally and emotionally.  An individual just have to reach a point in life where they've had enough and want real change.

That was me back in 1995.  Life was such a struggle and so burdensome then, and I didn't want to feel like that anymore.  I just didn't want to live that way.  I remember attending church one Sunday and our Minister at the time, Pastor Jeff Sensenstein brought the message.  He talked about the same topic.  for the first time in my life I heard unforgiveness presented this way, although I put the statement in quotation it is not word for word, this was a long time ago, okay.  "When you hold a grudge, you are hurting yourself.  Imagine the other party going about their business, living their life and they are free, and you are in pain". 

I sat there and squirmed in my seat - and could not wait for the service to be over.  I didn't have any particular plan but to go home, ponder what I had heard, spend sometime with myself and just forgiving myself for causing me so much harm.  That was an eye opener for me, and I never looked back. Over the last 21 years I have been on a spiritual journey, reading, learning, understanding, applying and growing.

Here is what I have observed about this subject - you cannot expect an individual who has not been healed to have compassion.  Remember we see the world through our own lenses, if our spiritual lenses are  covered or cloudy with hurt we cannot  see another person's pain.  As healing start to take place we start to see a little, then more, and more until our understanding deepens and we can truly be compassionate.

Another thing, while we are forgiving, we must forgive ourselves because we are usually harder on our own self than anybody else.  Forgive yourself, forgive others.  Don't forget that "confession is good for the soul" so where the spirit direct you, approach you, acknowledge that you hurt/offend and ask for forgiveness.  Sometimes, if it is not going to help neither you nor the other party and has the potential of making matters worse, discuss/confess to a trusted confidant and let sleeping dogs lie.
For instance, if someone is sick, especially if they are dealing with life and death, don't bring up petty stuff to disturb the person's mind, it's not worth it.  Just make peace with them and your self and be free.

Lastly, remember it is a process.  You chip away little by little, you will get there.  There are plenty of books available to help.  I follow the ones that follow medical science and line up with the teachings of Jesus Christ.  I always find great articles so check my Facebook page often. Here is a link:  http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2015/June/The-Deadly-Consequences-of-Unforgiveness

Be courageous and go for it, for what is the alternative - a lifetime of misery?

Cheers,

MissSam
Tuesday June 7, 2016