When a Friend Hurts You

I don't think there's a soul reading this who doesn't know the wound of being hurt by a friend. Monday, I {Mandy} shared some thoughts on the Devotional page about what it's like to be wronged. I shared some verses from 1 Samuel showing that God comforted Samuel when Samuel's feelings were hurt by the Israelites. God told Samuel that it wasn't Samuel who the Isrealites had wronged, but, rather God Himself. 

Friends, we need to take to heart what God told Samuel. 

If we have handled a situation with others with prayer, careful consideration, and thoughtfulness, and the others are still offended or angry...that is not a reflection on us. 

Something we must remember when we're involved in conflict is that the person on the other side is not our enemy. No matter how cold or angry they may seem, we only have one enemy. 

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"But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!" (Matthew 5:44)

When your feelings are hurt and you feel like you can't possibly forgive, take it all to Him. Let Him hear you. Pour it all out before Him. 

Pray for those who hurt you. Ask God to see them through His eyes.

Satan cheers every time we allow others' or our own hurt feelings to drive a wedge in-between our relationships and hamper reconciliation. 

Conflict in life is unavoidable, but keeping some things in mind will help alleviate a lot of it. An article I wrote on Ungrind Webzine underscores points on being selctive with our inner circle of friends. 
Are you hurting? Have you been wounded? Have you acted out in a posture of love only to be treated like the enemy? Let's pray together.

Father,
We come to you with broken hearts and stinging souls. Please open our eyes to any wrong-doing or wrong-thinking on our parts. Please guide us with wisdom on how to respond and when to back away. Please heal the hearts of all involved and draw us closer to You. May our relationships nbe glorifying to You.


In Jesus' name. Amen.