But me he caught—reached all the way from sky to sea; he pulled me out of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos, the void in which I was drowning…God stuck by me… I stood there saved—surprised to be loved! Psalms 18:16 (MSG)
Let’s pretend that you recently dislocated your shoulder. Although it has been put back in place, any movement still causes excruciating pain. On your first day back at work, everyone happily greets you with a friendly hand shake. But each time you see stars and nearly pass out from the pain.
You could conclude that everyone you work with wants to hurt you. But would this be reasonable?
Most likely their intent was not to hurt you. You felt pain because you were still healing. They were likely unaware of your injury or they underestimated your pain.
Similarly, if you feel hurt or offended by others easily, it may be because you have an emotional wound that is not fully healed. Just as we wear a sling to protect us for a while after an injury, we can let people know when our feelings are raw from recent trauma. However, we eventually need to do the work involved in healing, with God’s help. We cannot expect people to tiptoe around sore spots forever.
You do not have to live your life in offence. If someone offends you today, ask yourself, “Did this person hurt me intentionally or did normal conversation hurt me because I am wounded?”
You can reach out to people you can trust and go after God’s Word with passion to receive everything you need to heal—fully and completely.