Bumps and Bruises

My oldest daughter looks like her little legs are extremely beat up.  I hope nobody sees the bruises and thinks she lives in an abusive home!  As I said in yesterday's post, she has learned to ride with no training wheels.  And although she is doing a fabulous job, (I was actually quite shocked at how she just took off with no help!) she still has suffered a few falls!  And like her mama, she bruises easily!  She starts out strong, then maybe a wobble, and then she has trouble stopping and getting those little feet down to the ground in time to catch herself.  This results in little black and blue shins.  I am proud of how tough she has actually been.  She hops back up and keeps on going!  Most little bumps can cause some real tears because she can be a real cry baby sometimes when it comes to little injuries...but again, so can her mama!

And unfortunately, she also bruises easily emotionally too...just like her mama!

We are bound to have our feelings hurt many many times in our lives.  My three year old already knows how to cross her arms and say, "That hurt my feelings!", with an added "Ummmm!" at the end.  I have learned that us girls can definitely have more hurt feelings than those tough old boys!  We tend to re-live hurtful situations, over-analyze comments, and take things way too seriously.  Those painful memories of the little hurtful comments and being left out can cause little bruises on our fragile hearts, and those typically do not fade as quickly as a black and blue mark on our shins!

How do we pick ourselves up and keep on going after being hurt emotionally?

We must hand those situations and hurt feelings over to God.  He is the only One who has the power to erase them from our memories, patch up our broken and bruised hearts, and help us move on without bitterness!  If we do not allow Him to work in our lives, and help us deal with our hurt feelings, we will live a life of pain and misery.

If I quit speaking to everyone who has hurt my feelings, I would have no one to talk to...and I am not afraid to admit that includes God also.  Every family member, every friend, and even my Heavenly Father has hurt my feelings at some point in my life.  But just as my daughter picks herself up after falling off her bike, we must pick ourselves up after having our feelings hurt.  We have to forgive and move on.  Life is too short to dwell on the little hurts!  Bumps and bruises are going to happen, we just have to be ready to jump up and keep peddling.

Today's Verse - Hebrews 12:13-15

¹³ And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

¹⁴ Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

¹⁵ Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you...

I love the ESV interpretation of these verses...

¹³ and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. ¹⁴ Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. ¹⁵ See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble...