Wow, did I choose a bad subject to talk about today. Church hurt affects every church in the world. I don’t care what religion you are or where you choose to worship. At some point someone in the church will upset you and that is considered “church hurt”.
We look at “church hurt” as they should have known better than to do that. And that is probably true, but we must remember that we are ALL imperfect humans serving a perfect God. We all have said or done something that wasn’t very Christian like to someone. We say something, do something, not do something, no say something, etc. Sometimes it is just the way it is. “Somebody didn’t say hi to me, but they said hi to everyone else. That just isn’t fair and now I am mad.” BOOHOO. Have you ever missed saying hi to someone and thought, “I’ll catch them on the way out and don’t?”
If we take “church hurt” to heart, then we will always be hurt and upset. We may just quit going to church because… We are called to forgive. The bible states that we are to forgive because God has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32). If we don’t forgive, then we will not be forgiven (Matthew 6:14-15). This will also affect your prayer life, your social life, your bible study time and all aspects of your life.
If you look to be offended, then you will be. We are to be tenderhearted, loving and kind. Forgiveness is a choice; it is not a feeling. There are many times that I have forgiven people, and I had to remind myself about forgiveness. You see, forgiveness is not about them, it is about you. Your heart toward others. We are called to have the heart of Christ toward our fellow man. You must remember that He forgave you for all that you have done and all that you will do, so……
Forgive so that you can be forgiven. Treat everyone like a Child of God (because they are). Look to help your neighbor and be friendly. You don’t know what others are going through, so if nothing else, be kind. It doesn’t cost you a thing.