An Aching Heart
Have you ever felt stuck in a hurt? Drowning, aching, numb, overwhelmed, or defeated?
Maybe it’s a harsh word from someone you love (or many).
Maybe it’s the raw ache of loneliness, like you have to face the world alone.
Maybe you lost someone who meant the world to you.
Maybe you feel unlovable & that your loneliness means you’re not enough.
Maybe you or someone you love is faced with a (potentially even) deadly disease or injury.
Maybe depression is making you feel like the world would be better off without you.
Maybe you have been abused or hurt deeply by someone you trusted.
Maybe you are drowning in a debt that haunts your ever step & only seems to get worse as time goes on.
Maybe shame & guilt haunts you & makes you feel like you’re not worth anyone’s grace or forgiveness.
Maybe you blame yourself for the heartache in your life. Maybe you blame the world. Maybe you blame God.
It is no surprise to me if you have any of those wars raging in your heart right now because I have personally struggled through each one at different times in my life & probably so many more.
The Hurts We All Face
I know that if you are a living, breathing human being, you have felt hurts & heartaches & pains, even if you try to deny them & shove them deep down inside your heart.
I wish that I could take them all away & set you free from them, but I know I don’t have such power or wisdom.
But I can pray with you. I can lift up your hurts with you to the One who CAN do something about them.
And I can encourage you to lean into Him every step of the way—Allow yourself to come to the end of you & to reach out to HIM in your times of greatest weakness & hurt. He is the true answer of HOPE in the worst of our circumstances.
The Doubts That Surface
In the midst of those greatest hurts & longings, we can have some painful doubts pop up about God & today I want to share the doubts I experienced through those hurts & the HOPE that brought me through them… the REAL hope… Not just a hoped-FOR hope, but a steady, sure, secure, lasting, reliable HOPE.
As always, my ultimate goal in writing this is to encourage you to reach out to HIM. I am limited & my answers only scratch the surface of who God is, what He is capable of, & how much He loves you, so turn to Him in every step & every tear. <3
“The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod & Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness & mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.” (Psalm 23, emphasis mine)
“God, where are You when I’m hurting?”
Have you ever felt like God is just ignoring you or maybe doesn’t even notice you at all in your pain? It’s an easy doubt to feel, especially when you know (or want to know) God to be kind & good… the hurts don’t jive with those ideas of God.
But, we need to remember something very important here:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, emphasis mine)
He Is with Us in the Hurts
God doesn’t promise that we will live a struggle-free life. In fact, He tells us just the opposite. We live in a sin-torn world & until heaven, we WILL struggle.
BUT, God does promise to be our ENOUGH in the struggle.
So, cry out to Him, slump into Him, & pour out your heart to Him (even if all you can manage is a slew of mumbled sobs directed toward God with an ache so you deep you don’t know how to verbalize it—He knows & He hears & He understands), asking for Him to be your strength & comfort & love & courage & HOPE when you feel you have none left to spare.
Where is He? He is right there with you in it & through it, so call out to Him & lean your full weight into Him through every ache & tear.
“God, if You ARE Good & All-Powerful, how could you let this happen to me?”
This one is a more fleshed-out form of the last doubt we just covered, getting to the heart of why that doubt hurts us so much. It really reveals our uncertainty of whether we feel we can trust God’s power or goodness or both when our world feels so incredibly consumed by hurts.
But, as I mentioned above, God doesn’t promise a lack of struggle—but He sees you & He loves you & He does promise to be our enough as we walk through the hurts, so lean into Him!
We also have an eternal HOPE to look forward to if we have put our trusting Hope in Jesus Christ to pay the price for our wrongs.
We may face trials “of many kinds” here on earth, but Heaven is a sure hope we can close our eyes, take a deep breath, exhale, & feel the comfort of knowing that this is just our temporary home & the trials aren’t for forever. But, in the now, God promises to be our help when we need Him.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers & sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4, emphasis mine)
“God, are You punishing me?”
Oh, dear one, how I have felt this one.
Most of us are not ignorant of our own mistakes, past or present. Deep down, we know we don’t deserve God’s grace… & sometimes we don’t cry out to God for help simply because we don’t feel we deserve it.
But while God does allow struggles to shape us & strengthen us, as we are told in 1 Peter 5:10, God does not seek to hold us in a place of shame because He offers us ready forgiveness with His FREE gift of grace through Jesus Christ.
”But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, & settle you. To Him be the glory & the dominion forever & ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:10-11)
So, when you feel that shame keeping you stuck in the muck of your sorrows, don’t let Satan keep whispering those chains of lies to your heart. Call out to God for forgiveness if there IS something you know you have done, & receive the forgiveness & grace that God is always so quick to give.
Read Luke 15:11-32 if you don’t believe me. <3 (Hint: God represents the father, & getting the inheritance NOW is us wanting to live OUR way NOW.)
“God, am I just not good enough? Do I deserve this?”
Sometimes we wonder why we feel so unloved when treading through the darkest times in our life, but rest assured that God does not make mistakes & that He makes EVERY person with a God-designed purpose AND HE loves every one of us more than we can ever comprehend.
Don’t let Satan blast you with everything you feel you are missing or lacking or losing, but instead, ask God to show you how He made you& to help you see both God’s design for your life AND how much you truly are LOVED by Him.
He is always willing to show us His care for us that somehow ends up seeming (& being!) so much richer than any of the ways we were seeking & missing it here on earth. He is the best expression of LOVE, true love, that you will ever experience if you learn to rest that fear in His loving arms & ask for His help.
The Key Element
I know there are probably many more doubts that can pop up in times of distress & aches of the heart, but the key element in all of these doubts is to TURN to HIM in them all. He can help you much better than I ever can.
So, let my experiences act merely as an encouragement that God really CAN help you, even when you see no possible way. And lean into Him every step.
Don’t let Satan paralyze you in these hurts & questions. Turn to God & seek TRUTH & find His hope to carry you through each moment. God, through Jesus Christ, is where our true hope comes from—so shine hope by shining His love & grace to a hurting world. He’s got you, babe.
Even in your darkest moments, God has you & loves you & will show you just how much when you take those fears & hurts to Him & lean your full weight of pain into Him for your true source of HELP.
He is where our help comes from. Not in us fixing it, but in us leaning into HIM.
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven & earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2, emphasis mine)
Coming Next Week
Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.
As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.
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A Note from Michelle:
If you would like to hear more of my story, check out the “About Me” page. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” page, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3
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Weekly Special Spotlight:
Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Check out this week’s featured beauty!!
Nairobi Necklace
Small hammered ovals & ethically sourced bone shapes adorn this golden necklace that shimmers in the light. Crafted in Kenya.
Artisan Information:
In Kenya, where many people struggle with starvation & poverty, the women we partner with are defying the odds! Your purchase empowers these women to earn an income, overcome physical disabilities, & become important parts of their communities!
Purchase this piece & empower a woman in Kenya!
SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michelle@michellehydeonline.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!
