Inspiration:
I know how you have suffered, even at the hands of those you trusted. So often, it is those we love who seem to hurt us the most—even when they don’t mean to do it.
~” In the Presence of Jesus” by Paul Bane and Matt Litton
Scripture:
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in people.
Psalm 118:8
Everyone has the experience of being hurt or betrayed by someone who broke their trust. As a result, we can feel it’s dangerous to get close to people and risk being hurt again. So we learn to keep them at a distance and not let them see our suffering and pain. (I Am Your Safe Place)
When we’re afraid of being wounded, no one can understand who we are because we won’t let them get close to us. It produces feelings of being lost and alone and having no place to turn. We all need a place to tell a friend we are broken and feeling down, and we’re angry and upset.
It’s important to understand there’s nothing wrong with you having those feelings. However, we should seek to understand the truth of why we feel and think the way we do. and the things that happened to us, causing our isolation. Then, we can also choose to see what might have occurred in the life of the person who caused our pain and forgive them over time.
We can work at releasing the hurt captured in our memories and learn to let go of the resentments. Then we can contemplate why we choose to withdraw from people and put up a front to protect ourselves. Then we can be honest about how we sabotage relationships and begin to be aware of those thoughts and stop simply reacting on autopilot to them. Finally, we can breathe and ask ourselves whether we can respond differently.
Choosing to let people in is essential to having a fulfilling life. Of course, other people will hurt you, and you’ll likely be hurt again, but living without intimacy is a lonely life. Living without people knowing the real you is tragic. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith, make a conscious decision, and open yourself up to people again, even if it’s scary. Instead of protecting ourselves from others, we are only hurting ourselves. Trust God with the healing of your heart. (Break Open and Blossom)
Co-author Matt Litton
