Church Hurt

Let's talk about something many of us know personally: church hurt.

A friend called me yesterday. She hasn't attended church in years, but she finally planned to return this Sunday. Before she even walked through the doors, she overheard a woman say she wished she just wouldn't come. Hurt doesn't begin to cover it.

We don't expect to be wounded in the one place that's supposed to feel safe. But it happens, and it happens more than it should. I've been there myself, more than once. And I know how hard it is to walk back through those doors, even at a different church.

But here is what we have to hold onto: the church is a hospital for broken souls, not a showcase for perfect people. Everyone sitting in those pews, including the pastor, stumbles daily. And not everyone who attends church actually knows Jesus. That doesn't make the hurt less real, but it does help explain it. What matters most is this: don't let broken people keep you from a loving Savior. Your relationship with Jesus is too important to be held hostage by someone else's failure.

And for those of us in the church, we carry a serious responsibility. I would never want to stand before Jesus knowing I was the reason someone walked away from Him.

The greatest commandment is simple: love God completely, and love the people around you. When our eyes are fixed on Jesus, we become people who heal rather than harm. Scripture Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39

Prayer

Here is my prayer for you.

Father, I thank You for the precious lady that is reading these words today. Please, gather her in Your arms and bring healing to every place in her heart that has been wounded. And Lord, fill her with Your love for others, so that out of her own healing, she can pour the same love into someone else who is hurting. ~Amen

Sending each of you much love, ~ Toy