Providing Hope for the Hurting

Every day we come in contact with hurting people. For some, the hurt doesn’t always show on the outside. Some people wear a mask to cover the invisible pain that exists just beneath the surface of their lives. It may be our neighbor, a member of our family, a co-worker, or maybe even the student sitting in our classroom. Instead of showing us their hurt, they may show a variety of outward actions that take our eyes off their pain and focuses us instead on their behaviors... they may project anger, disinterest, boredom, passive aggression, exhaustion, fear, task avoidance, self-harming, bad decision-making, or any combination of these and more. Whether the pain manifests itself outwardly or not makes it no less real for the person experiencing it.

Satan loves to tell us that we are victims who have no power to resist sin. But, Jesus gives us hope and the ability to have peace regardless of our current situation. How can we help others to rise above current circumstances, family situations, current environments, or heredity to accept responsibility and find hope? We have to be Jesus-in-skin for hurting people. Just how can we do this? We can...



Be persistent and consistent in showing grace. Psalm 34:18 says the Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit. Though folks push us away and act out in every possible way to make us believe they are bad or hardened, underneath the crust is a person who desperately wants to be understood. Ask him or her to explain the emotions he or she is feeling instead of showing them in order to uncover root causes and possible, productive solutions.

Model and teach positive problem-solving. Psalm 145:14 says the Lord helps the fallen and lifts up those bent beneath their loads. It would be easy to respond to anger with anger...disinterest with disinterest, wouldn't it? But, we are called to help one another to own our failures and circumstances and rise above them. We are not called to fix problems for others, but we are to love others through their trials and hardships and in doing so we are Jesus-in-skin.

Forgive a momentary backslide. All of us fall short of perfection. Each of us sins. Some of us are lucky enough to have our sins be of a more hidden nature. Because we are of the flesh for now and are given grace in Jesus, we must do the same. We are reminded in Lamentations 3:23 Great is His faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. We all long for a clean slate and a chance to begin again. Every day God gives us grace and love so we are freed from the burdens of sin and failure. Let us give the same.

Use your words to be the arms of Jesus. Our verbal responses have the potential to bury someone in despair or to provide hope. So many hurt people have no hope. They may believe that their whole life is a mistake and many around them react in such a way as to prove it to them. They wish they were never born or wonder why they were born into a particular circumstance? We have to remind them that they were known before they were ever conceived and that God purposefully made them. Psalm 139: 13 - 16 says Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb.I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out,you know every bone in my body;You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day. Remind the hurting that they are wonderfully and intentionally made.

Be present. Sometimes the behaviors we see from others are so foreign to our way of thinking that we are fearful of getting involved. Our first instinct is to let someone else handle it. But in John 16:33 we are told, Don't be afraid, for I am always with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Shouldn't we take a risk to help others learn of the love of Jesus?

Dear Heavenly Father,

Please help us to love those who hurt around us. Help us to see through the outward behaviors and ugliness designed to push us away. May the Holy Spirit give us discernment to see what You see. Give us the courage to show grace and love toward those who need it. Give us the right words to provide comfort and lead others to You. In Jesus Wonderful and Powerful name we pray....Amen.