“weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5

Have you ever silently whispered any of these in your hearts before?
“I’m not angry. I’m hurt.”
“Some people hurt me and act like I hurt them instead.”
“My mind keeps replaying the hurts that my heart can’t delete.”
“It hurts because it matters.”
“It hurts when I have to act like I’m not affected.”
“I feel invisible and ignored, like my hurts don’t matter.”  
“All I can do is smile, get along with my day, hold back the tears and pretend I’m okay.”

A gush of feelings and thoughts flood our spirits when we are hurt. When hurts run deep and wide, the pain seems heavier to bear. Psalm 30:5 encourages us that our weeping is only for a time; it is only a chapter of our life. The pain will pass, and rejoicing will come. God’s future for us awaits. Don’t belittle how far we’ve come. God can use our stories to bless someone who is hurting. God can revive the part of you that is weary with hurts.

What has hurt you deeply? Have those hurts made you bitter or broken?

Bitterness is vengeful and filled with hatred. It bears grudges and seeks angry retaliation. It is proud. Brokenness is coming to the end of yourself and realising that there is nowhere else to turn but to God. It is surrendering all our pain and sorrows to God, no matter how deep they are. It is humbling.

The wounds in our hearts may not be our fault. But our response and our healing are our responsibility. Just as Jesus forgave those who crucified Him, we must also forgive those who wronged us. Forgiveness is not always easy, but it is necessary for our healing and growth. By doing so, we can find peace and freedom from our past.

Surrender and release your hurts to God. We can be vulnerable before God and fully acknowledge our complex feelings, confess our inability to handle them and trust God to be our defender. Hand over to God the right to even the score because only God has the right to pay back. God will set things right for us. It may take time to happen, and the wait may take forever. Surrender, nonetheless. Release your pain to God. Surrender is for our freedom; the freedom to be released from the shackles of our past hurts. Don’t resist God. Let God revive you – rekindle your first love for Jesus, reignite your passion for God’s presence, reconcile your relationships and restore your life. A deeper, richer, more purposeful and fulfilling life beholds you. Remember, rejoicing will come.

As the Lord mends our brokenness, be careful that we are not the offenders who inflict hurt on others instead. I have witnessed too many conflicts where the hurts are mutual and seen too many people who are rude and toxic. We have the power to choose our words. So, choose our words wisely and rightly. Give careful thought to what we say and how we say it. Speaking carelessly can be as easy as throwing pebbles into the water. But we have no idea how deep that pebble can sink and how much ripples it can create.

Sometimes, we may have done our best to extend grace and reconciliation.  However, some people simply do not appreciate and reciprocate our best intentions. They continue to provoke us and treat us like a doormat. It may be best to walk away or maintain a distance from them, whichever is possible. Although it will break our hearts, it will give peace to our souls. We need healthy boundaries from people who are too busy finding faults with us while we are too willing to overlook theirs. But don’t walk away with hatred in your heart towards them. Bless them and pray for them that God will change and transform them.

Each time you are hurt, weep all you need, but look forward to the next morning, for rejoicing will come.

Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision.” – From The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan and Devotions