When Life Hurts

As R.E.M sang, "Everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes."

We live in an imperfect world with imperfect people who make imperfect choices.  And the result is that we get hurt.

Pain, in this life, is unavoidable.

Pain is a sign that there is something wrong: it points to the fact that things are not as they should be.  Pain prompts us to put things right.

It shouldn't be ignored.

As Taylor says in Gilmore Girls,

"Pain is your body's way of saying 'I'm not alright now, but I will be soon.  You've got to listen to your body.  You don't want to shut it up too soon ... that's called death.'"

We can ignore pain, we can dull the ache with pills and medicines, we can distract ourselves and bury the hurt.  But it never really goes away.

In order to heal, we need to let the wounds breathe.  We need to bring them out into the open and bring them before God.

"If your heart is broken,
You'll find God right there;
if you're kicked in the gut,
He'll help you catch your breath."

[Psalm 34:18 MSG]

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

[Psalm 147:3 NIV]

These are some of the words from 'The Hurt and The Healer" by MercyMe (full lyrics at
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/mercyme/thehurtthehealer.html) 

"You take my heart and breathe it back to life
I’ve fallen into Your arms open wide
When the hurt and the healer collide."

Whilst being hurt may be unavoidable, staying hurt isn't.