When someone hurts you, how can you forgive the person and move on? Dr. Charles Stanley answers a viewer email. In Touch Ministries 2012. For more messages from Charles Stanley, including this week’s broadcast, go to www.intouch.org/watch
we don’t choose to be heard of betrayed
but when pain arises from our
experiences and their memories only
God’s healing can restore us do you have
a disappointment you can’t seem to
forget the days email comes from a woman
who is struggling with a pain that just
will not go away and so she writes many
years ago something happened to me that
left me very hurt even now a memory can
bring that pain back is deep hurt the
same as anger isn’t interesting how past
hurts have a way of disagreeing with us
and sometimes it appears that what it
was
should not have left that kind of scar
but scars still remain in our thinking
someone hurt you they did strike your
personhood did it damage your self-image
did it make you feel less than a person
more like a thing did it make you feel
unwanted God understands these feelings
and can heal the deepest hurts of our
life you asked the question is it the
same as anger yes in a very subtle form
we think at first it’s not anger we say
well these things happen and I forgiving
them
but somehow until that forgiveness is
deep deep deep down inside of us until
we are able to lay it down by faith
before God unless we’re willing to turn
it over to him it is still there so the
question is this how do we get free well
first of all we have to identify it and
I think according to this email you have
identified you said something happened
many years ago that hurt you very deeply
you really know what specifically it was
whatever whoever the cause what you have
to do is to be forgiving and oftentimes
we can defend ourself and we can say
but-but-but God surely and what we’re
really saying is Lord I want them to pay
somehow I want something to happen that
somehow I feel that now I’m justified in
my feelings because
of what they’ve done and therefore if
something happens to them I feel like
they got paid back none of that’s of God
forgiveness means that I’m willing to no
longer hold the animosity against the
men longer I’m willing to lay it down
you say is that easy no it’s not easy
depending upon the depth of the hurt the
nature of the herd the intensity of it
and what affected his head in your life
as we said a few moments ago they didn’t
make you feel like someone who’s less
than who you are
did it hurt yourself image did it reach
so deep down into your soul that you
think you can never overcome it but you
can ask God to heal your damaged
emotions he’s a great healer he
understands what happened to you why it
happened to you and he’s willing to
forgive and he’s willing to enable you
to forgive he’s the great healer and
when these thoughts return you say well
what do I do when they return you think
watch this carefully you thank God that
you are healed you think about the
moment when you said I forgive I’m
asking you to heal me I’m trusting you
for your forgiveness and I’m trusting
you for your healing so that when that
thought returns it’s not that you will
be healed you thank him that he has
already healed you and you move on in
life you say but do you ever totally
forget these things no but remember this
when those thoughts come you can
remember them without the pain that’s
the awesome power of forgiveness God’s
forgiveness removes the pain well thank
you for joining us for this broadcast of
InTouch and until next time
obey God leave all the consequences to
him that’s living life at its very best
and there’s a power that comes in our
life when we turn it all over to him and
we obey Him a power that comes no other
way
god bless you with his best today