When Loving Hurts

“… the truth will set you free.”

I don’t know about you, but I hate being hurt. I hate the emotions that come with it. It feels so painful at times, heavy, so unsettling. I hate that I may experience these kinds of emotions, in the name of “loving”. Loving by its very essence means caring about another in such a way that it makes us vulnerable. It means that we open ourselves up to being hurt and misunderstood.

One of the challenges for me at least is to try and see past my own heavy-laden feelings. My feelings seem to have power over me as if they have a life of their own. I want to convince myself that my feelings must be true, must be right, otherwise I would not feel this way. But I must remind myself of the truth.

· Feelings or emotions are just sensations. They do not have intelligence.

· I must choose to set my mind on what is real, what is true, what is right.

· I must be willing to examine myself, ask God to show me the truth about myself.

· We can act in love, even if the feelings are not there. We act lovingly while we wait on God to make it true of our emotions.

· I know at times we will all be called to love sacrificially, even when it hurts, when we don’t get what we want, or need.

· God always sees and knows the hurts of our hearts. Even if no one else ever does.

"I act in love, as if my feelings were already there."

How incredibly hard this is sometimes! Easier for me to write it, then always live it. I want to just let the feelings BE - but if I do, I miss out on what God is doing. I miss the chance to trust that God is bigger than my feelings (no matter how strong they are). I miss the moment to press in for more of Him. I need Him to fill me so that even when loving hurts, I find He is enough. I act in love, as if my feelings were already there.

~Carla