DEVOTIONS: There is hope in the hurting

There is hope in the hurting.

There are a lot of hurting people around. The last few weeks, as I’ve looked around, I have seen so much hurt and pain. I see my own hurt and pain. I see the pain of those around me. I see the pain of those that I don’t even know personally.

If we’re honest, we are all a little wounded. Each one of us, in our humanity, is flawed and it manifests differently in each of our lives. Sometimes it comes out in actions that we live to regret. Sometimes we hurt others,  unintentionally or intentionally. Sometimes, our pain is caused by our own actions, in which case the pain is felt deeper because there is no one else to blame. Sometimes people hurt us. And sometimes, life is just hard and difficult and each step feels like we’re crawling up the mountain in the mud.

Hope in the hurting.

In any case, none of us can escape this part of life; while we are alive, we will experience all the emotions and feelings this world has to offer, including pain. But as I sit heavy hearted at all that I see around me, I also feel HOPE. Hope that the story, no matter how far along it is, or how bad it seems, can still be restored. Hope that wrongs can be righted, and second chances are available. And this hope comes from Jesus.

Only Jesus.

Because Jesus is the only one who has the power to restore and redeem. The One who defeated death, can defeat our demons. The One who rose Lazarus from the death, can breath new life into our broken dreams. He is not the God of second chances but the God of endless chances. Unlike us, God does not turn his back on us when we mess up or when we’re unfaithful towards Him; He remains faithful and steadfast in His love and grace towards us. When we hurt, He hurts with us and pours out his peace to us. When we mess up, He is gracious and kind and quick to forgive. And when we walk away from Him, he is ever the Father of the prodigal child, watching and waiting with arms wide open for us to return.

All is not lost.

[bctt tweet=”There is hope for restoration and redemption because of Jesus #hope #hurting #ACW @LHalawe” username=”acwriters”]

If you’re in a season of confusion, seek Him and let Him guide you. If you’re sitting in a season of hurt and pain, seek Him and let his comfort wrap around you. And if you find yourself sitting broken amongst the ashes, can I encourage you to lift your eyes to the One that can bring beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:3) because He is faithful to his promises. His Word does not return void.

Don’t give up hope. No matter how far along you are, how far away you are, how broken you are or how lost you are, don’t give up hope. Because there is hope. And hope is a person and his name is Jesus.

xo

As published on Looking In

Author

  • Leila

    Leila Armstrong is an Australia based blogger who believes that true joy is found in encountering Christ. Passionate about pointing people to Jesus, Leila shares her faith journey on her blog, Reflections By Leila. When she isn’t writing or working in her consultancy, Enriched HR, she can be found sitting in a cafe reading a book while drinking coffee or with her husband and family.

Published by Leila

Leila Armstrong is an Australia based blogger who believes that true joy is found in encountering Christ. Passionate about pointing people to Jesus, Leila shares her faith journey on her blog, Reflections By Leila. When she isn’t writing or working in her consultancy, Enriched HR, she can be found sitting in a cafe reading a book while drinking coffee or with her husband and family.

6 replies on “DEVOTIONS: There is hope in the hurting”

  1. These are lovely and encouraging thoughts on hope. Sometimes we do not realise just how many people are hurting in some way until we come beside them and luu it stem. Thank you for sharing.

  2. Wow! I love this and appreciate it SO much. I’m breathless as I read your declaration: “God of endless chances” WOW, so true but I never really thought about it. Thanks for sharing. Xx

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