I spent weeks caring for a sunflower plant. It stood tall and straight. It got so tall I could no longer touch the top. I loved that plant. I was about 10 years old, and it was the first thing I had ever planted and watched grow. I was looking forward to watching it mature and produce sunflower seeds for the birds to eat. Everyone knew how much I loved that plant and yet, out of spite, someone destroyed it.
That act of destruction broke my heart. I felt defeated.
I remember wondering why anyone would want to cause someone else pain, just because they could. The destruction of that sunflower plant was devastating, but as I look back today, I realize it was a small thing in a world full of much greater issues.
I still find myself wondering how anyone can intentionally strike out to cause harm against someone else. It is difficult to wrap my mind around at times, but all you have to do is turn on the news to discover people all around the world are causing pain, destruction, and harm. Evil seems to have taken on a life of its own.
If you have a difficult time understanding that kind of evil, see that lack of understanding as a good thing. It means your heart still has a softness and light in it.
There are some actions that have no other explanation behind them, other than a desire to cause harm or hurt. Trying to understand that frame of mind can be difficult for some of us.
Can we work towards overcoming hurt with faith? What does God say about it?
Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
This scripture focuses on those who are called according to His purpose. Those who are His can rest assured in these words.
When God says all things, He means it. This includes those things which might have been done in an effort to wrong us or hurt us. God loves us and He will not let someone else act against us without turning those actions into something good. We have to trust Him and allow Him to work through His spirit within us. We can’t tell Him how to work things out for us. Only He knows what the best outcome for our lives might be. Trust Him.
We can see an example of how this worked in the life of Joseph.
Genesis 50:20
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
When Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, they acted against him, to harm him.
He served a man well, only to be wrongly accused by that man’s wife. He spent many years in prison due to that accusation. While he found favor in the sight of his overseer, he was still in prison. I doubt he saw anything working out for his good at the moment. But God had a plan and Joseph trusted that plan, not losing faith, not even knowing what it was.
In the end, Joseph was used to provide for many people through a time of terrible famine, saving lives. He was advanced to the role of second in command directly under the Pharaoh.
He went from brother, to slave, to prisoner, to second in command.
Could Joseph see this happening? No. But, God did.
When you are hurting and suffering because of the actions of someone else, don’t lose faith. Seek God and ask for His help. Let Him turn it into good, in His way and in His timing.
This doesn’t mean you stay in a situation that is harmful. Sometimes we have to flee the hurt and pain. But trust in Him to show the way and help you through it, no matter how long it takes or where the journey might lead.
Psalms 23:6
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Cherish the Journey!
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