5 Day Devotional Challenge for Healing From Past Hurts
In this five-day devotional, you will learn how to heal from past hurt and pain that might still be haunting you to this day. In a society of people wearing masks, this devotional will help you learn to be comfortable with being vulnerable and open with our Heavenly Father, yourself, and those around you.
Day 1 - Surrender Your Pride
I remember growing up in church as a Pastor’s kid, constantly engaging with an overwhelming number of people every Sunday. It becomes easy to get lost in the crowd of people, leading you to become detached from your own emotions. We so easily think that if we can “talk the talk” that the “walk the walk” part will come naturally. It’s hard to be real sometimes with people because you want to appear put together and without flaws, but the truth is, the person you’re talking to could be struggling with the same thing.When it comes to walking out your own faith, do you choose to be honest with yourself and God? Or do you become numb to your own emotions? God wants you to WAKE UP, He wants you to surrender your pride and open up to Him. You might tell yourself “God knows everything about my life, I don’t need to tell Him. I’ll be fine.” Well, God knows you aren’t fine. He knows every feeling and emotion that you’re experiencing, and the only way you can get healed from this pain you’re in is, to be honest with yourself and your Maker. He wants to hear it from your own mouth. That’s what a true relationship is, communication. Today, surrender everything to God: every fear, every anxious thought, and every emotion. He wants it all.Proverbs 11:2 & Proverbs 13:10
Day 2 - Change Your Mindset
In order for you to make friends, you have to be the friend that you’ve always wanted. You have to get out of the mindset of “what can they do for me?” and switch to “what can I do for them?” It’s challenging to make new friendships, but you can’t expect someone to magically become your best friend within one conversation. Just like any other relationship, it takes time and effort. Our relationship with Jesus should be the core example for all other relationships. We should look at others with the grace and love that God gives us. It’s easy to get hurt by people, but no one is perfect, and you can’t expect anyone to be. Only God is perfect. That’s why He’s God. Even still, God wants us to be in a healthy community with people who love Him and love each other, and He wants to bring healing from past hurts. Even Jesus had twelve friends with Him at all times: to love, to encourage, and to serve. God’s idea of community means coming together in the good and the bad times and being honest with each other even when it’s hard to open up.Philippians 2:5 & Romans 12:12
Day 3 - Open Your Heart
I see the greatest hurt in relationships, friendships, and in ourselves when we hold back how we truly feel. We all have hurt, pain, and worry from things that could’ve happened many years ago, and yet we still haven’t healed from them. The first step you need to take in order to break free from the burdens you have of past hurt, pain, and worry is, to be honest with God, yourself, and those around you. If you are going through something, it’s okay to not be okay, but it’s not okay to stay that way. You are allowed to grieve, mourn, and heal. However, you need to be open and honest with those around you and choose to be vulnerable. When you choose to cover up your hurt, it creates a wall between you and God. It’s okay, to be honest with God. He already knows everything about you. You need to open up every part of yourself to Him in order for the healing to begin.Psalm 73:26 & Psalm 51:10
Related Post: Express Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself
Day 4 - Seek Out Relationships
If anyone has a rough time making friends, it’s me. I love chatting with people… but sometimes it’s just plain hard. It comes naturally to others, but if you’re an introvert like me, it takes a lot of effort to pursue friendships. It’s okay if you don’t click with everyone! We weren’t meant to be best friends with everyone we encounter. However, we are called to love everyone we encounter. What does love look like when talking to someone new? It looks like making eye contact, showing you care, asking questions more than “Isn’t it hot outside?”, and actually seeking to get to know the person standing in front of you. Sometimes a short conversation can lead to another short conversation, which then can lead to getting lunch, to ultimately becoming real friends. The key to real friendship and overcoming past hurt is being honest and vulnerable with your friends and keeping God at the center. How could you grow in any relationship, if all you talk about is only the surface of who you truly are? Find those friends who you know will never judge you, will seek the best for you, and will pray with you.Proverbs 18:24 & Proverbs 27:17
Day 5 - Be Silent and Listen
Our society often views silence as a bad thing. I am a victim of “staying busy,” and I actually have to force myself to rest in God’s presence. But there has not been one time where I have been disappointed that I rested in His presence. This silence allows us to pause our hurried minds, process our emotions, and listen to our Lord. All it takes is five minutes of rest for the Lord to revive your spirit. This precious time allows you to be honest with yourself and your own emotions. This in turn will help you be more vulnerable before God and others. It’s a cycle of choosing to turn from stress and seek rest in the One who is The King of Peace. Every issue or hurt we face is in God’s hands to heal. We all need to take a moment to remember how big God is and how small we are. He is in control of every aspect of our lives, and resting in His presence reminds us to choose to give up what we think we control, and give it to the One fighting for us.Psalm 46:10 & John 10:27-28