My experience when dealing with the pain and hurts others inflict on us has been to hold onto the pain. Turn it over and over in my mind where it has the opportunity to pull the scab off the wound and re-inflict pain all over again.

Definitely not the best way to deal with such things.

The Bible tells us love covers all wrongs. And, of course, that’s true. The problem I see is we often refuse to allow love to cover all wrongs. We might let it cover some wrongs, but hold onto those we feel don’t deserve to be covered with love’s forgiveness.

Am I the only one who does this? I think not.

With that said, I’d like to share a devotion I recently read in Streams in the Desert.

At midnight I found myself completely unable to sleep. Waves of cruel injustice were sweeping over me, and the covering of love seemed to have been unknowingly removed from my heart. In great agony I cried to God for the power to obey his admonition, ‘Love covers over all wrongs.’

From here the writer explains God’s Spirit began to work the power into her that ultimately brought about forgetfulness.

She mentally dug a grave until the hole was very deep. She lowered the offense that wounded her into the grave. Quickly she shoveled the soil over it. Then she covered the hole with green sod, planted beautiful white roses and forget-me-nots on top, and Briskly walked away.

The wound that seemed so deadly was healed without a scar. God’s love covered the hurt. The pain. The wound. Completely.

So here’s what I receive from this devotion. Perhaps you receive the same. Perhaps you receive something different.

When we cry out to God for help, his Spirit will work in us if we let him. He will bring us peace. When we insist on carrying wounds and refuse his help, peace will elude us.

It’s easier to truly forgive when we rely on God’s help. We might think we’ve forgiven, but quickly realize otherwise when the great deceiver, Satan, dredges up our past hurts.

I love the writer’s description of digging a grave – a very deep grave – to throw our wound into.

The offended did not stand over the open grave rehearsing the hurt. She QUICKLY shoveled dirt over the offense.

Then she planted something beautiful over the grave. She thought on what is lovely, noble, honorable, and of good report. She thought on the things of God.

With that done, she BRISKLY walked away. She didn’t loiter or spend time wondering if forgiving was the right thing to do. She didn’t jab her shovel back into the ground and exhume the hurt. Nope. She walked away.

As she left the wound in the grave, God’s love covered the hurt, and she was completely healed.

There was a scar on yonder mountainside,

Gashed out where once the cruel storm had trod;

A barren, desolate chasm, reaching wide

Across the soft green sod.

But years crept by beneath the purple pines,

And veiled the scar with grass and moss once more,

And left it fairer now with flowers and vines

Than it had been before.

There was a wound once in a gentle heart,

From which life’s sweetness seemed to ebb and die;

And love’s confiding changed to bitter smart,

While slow, sad years went by.

Yet as they passed, unseen an angel stole

And laid a balm of healing on the pain,

Till love grew purer in the heart made whole,

And peace came back again.

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Hate stirs up trouble, but love forgives all offenses. Proverbs 10:12 (GNT)

You can find my January Inspire a Fire post here. Please stop by and read it.

I wish you well.

Sandy

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