Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.
JEREMIAH 17:14
Hanging on to past hurts has consequences way beyond our private lives. Some people can’t submit to the authority of leaders in the church because they had a dysfunctional relationship with their dad. Some people can never commit to a stable relationship because they have abandonment issues from their childhood. Some people are obsessed with making money and never feel they have enough because of a lack of provision when they were growing up. Others refuse to open up to others or make themselves vulnerable because they were abused in the past. This is how it is if we refuse to deal with the past. The stone has hit the pond and already sunk to the bottom, but the ripples continue to spread.
The Bible is full of people who allowed their situation to shape their lives. Remember the account of the woman who ran after Jesus who had the issue of blood? We don’t even know her name. All we know is that she had “an issue.” So many of us fall into the trap of becoming known only for our “issue.” The issue, whatever it may be, is so prominent that our true identity all but disappears. Worse still, our friends compensate for our issue: “Never mind him, he often gets angry. You get used to it.” Or, “Don’t get her onto the subject of guys or she’ll freak out. She’s still nursing the wounds of a breakup she had five years ago.”
How tragic that people’s lives should be defined by their issue. For many, their whole identity has grown out of their victimhood to the extent that they wouldn’t know who they were without their issue. We can use this victim mentality as an excuse to remain where we are: “You would find it hard to forgive too, if you had suffered the same kind of abuse . . . that’s why I don’t trust people in authority . . .” and so on. But all this achieves is to hinder us from entering into the future that God has for us. We have a purpose way beyond our past. Let’s determine to take our issues to the foot of the cross where they have already been dealt with. We do not need to be bound by our past; we can step into resurrection life as a brand-new creation in Christ.
MOMENT OF REFLECTION
Do you genuinely desire God to heal you from your wounds?
If so, what is standing in the way?