Healing from emotional pain isn’t always as simple as putting the past behind us. What do we do when the hurt lingers and life loses its sparkle?

Sometimes I get busy. I bury my discomfort by being “productive.” Some people shop more, clean more—or eat more. We all have ways of trying to escape uncomfortable emotions. That may temporarily dull the pain, but distraction doesn’t heal the hurt.

When we’ve been deeply wronged or betrayed, we probably can identify the source of our pain. But knowing what caused our pain doesn’t necessarily make it go away. What do we do when the wound remains long after the offense?

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. …A time to cry and a time to laugh. …A time to grieve and a time to dance” (Eccles. 3:1, 4 NLT).

God doesn’t expect us to skip the grieving. He meets us there.

Ignoring our pain or simply feeling irritated or indifferent toward the person who caused our pain, won’t resolve it. We must also deal with the sadness, hurt, injustice, and loss we experience. Like Job, we need to hear from God in our pain. Sometimes the only way to move through our pain is to face it rather than run from it.

Sometimes we can face it alone. Other times we need to share our pain with a trusted friend. That’s why Paul wrote, “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ” (Gal. 5:2 NLT).

Being honest about our suffering isn’t a sign of weakness. Paul was hardly a spiritual weakling, yet he wrote,

“We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die” (2 Cor. 1:8-9a NLT).

The Psalmists and prophets also expressed their confusion and pain. God didn’t reprimand them for bringing their honest questions and emotions to Him. He met them with insight, comfort, and His presence.

A close friend said, “Once I identified the root of my sadness, I was able to receive God’s perspective and comfort. I also recognized lies I’d believed about myself and the situation, and I began to see myself, my friend, and my future through God’s eyes.”

The testimonies of biblical and modern believers show the value of openly bringing our pain and confusion to God. As they did, they received renewed hope and comfort—and a deeper sense of God’s love and care.

“But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead” (2 Cor. 1:9b NLT).

Bringing our pain to God is also an important step toward forgiveness. Biblical forgiveness doesn’t require us to deny the hurt or pretend the wrong didn’t matter. Instead, it invites us to bring our hurt, anger, and desire for justice to the God who sees, cares, and judges rightly.

If you or someone you know is struggling with the lingering pain of betrayal or being wronged, I invite you to preorder my book Big Hurt, Bigger God: Finding Freedom Through Biblical Forgiveness. It releases September 1.

I wrote this book for people who know they want to forgive but still hurt—who need practical help with moving from pain to freedom. My prayer is that its biblical insight and practical guidance will help you experience the healing presence of our Divine Healer and discover that even in your biggest hurt, you have a bigger God.

What do we do when the hurt lingers and life loses its sparkle? #forgiveness, #betrayal Share on X

P.S. I heard the link to the radio interview didn’t work in last week’s email. I’m sorry for the glitch. You can listen from the website. Or here’s another link I hope will transfer to the email.

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Celebrating a Big God,

Sometimes I link to these great sites:

#MondayLinkUp, #InstaEncouragements, #Let’sHaveCoffee, #SweetTea&Friends