hurt.
Friends. I had planned to share my Chicago travel pictures with you this evening, but something else surfaces on my heart and so, I write.
I could have shared my Chicago photo diary or even a post full of Friday favorites...
I almost did.
But then I decided to share my heart. My real, raw heart. Because I always want to be honest and real on this little space.
Tonight my heart hurts. It's nothing dramatic or serious, I promise. But just those pangs that come, unexpectedly but surely, in every human relationship. Relationships are messy. We get hurt. We hurt each other. And it's painful.
You know that feeling? Hurt and pain, and also disappointment. "They let me down," we muse. I caught myself thinking that this week, today. But that is the problem. We simply cannot be the perfect friend. The perfect sister, daughter, mother, wife. And we cannot expect others to be perfect, either. We hurt each other. Relationships are messy. In my disappointed heart I remembered wise words I once heard,
"People are gonna hurt you and let you down.
Your family, your friends - they are wonderful.
But they will hurt you, from time to time.
God is the only one who will never let you down."
Oh why do I put my hope in people? People instead of Him.
People are broken. I am broken. And we hurt. Sometimes we hurt bad. And that's real, it's raw, it's life. We get hurt... and we also hurt back, sometimes without even knowing it.
Only He can take my brokenness and make me whole. Only He can fill my empty, hurting heart. Only He can fill the void. Only He can heal the wound, mend the cuts.
I don't really know if this all resonates with anyone but me. Perhaps it's just my full heart just spilling over here onto this page.
All of that to say I want to remind myself, and you who understand the hurt...
That there is someone who will never hurt us.
The only One who will never, ever let you down.
The only One will never make you cry.
Or misunderstand you.
Will never be insensitive, or cutting.
Will never dismiss you or turn away from you.
Will never walk away from you, never ignore you, never cheat on you.
Who will never, ever belittle you or make you feel small or worthless.
Oh my precious reader, and my own soul - take the pain to Jesus.
Take the disappointment to Him. The loss. The bitterness. The anger. Take it to Him.
And hold fast to this truth. The one that came to the surface of my mind as I hurt today:
Rest under His feathers, hide under the shadow of His wings.
He will keep you safe.
And He will always, forever love you.
Don't forget it.
I remind myself, tonight.
Love.
Me