Friday, August 16, 2013

Leaving my case in His hands

I've been struggling a lot lately with issues of faith, forgiveness, anger, bitterness, and confusion. The "church" answers I've heard all of my life just haven't been cutting it for me anymore and I have found myself dry, confused and hurting. Because many of my physical symptoms lately involve sensitivity to light and sound, I spent many hours in the dark, with me, my thoughts and my prayers and I'm wrestling with many issues.
One of the reoccurring ones is how do I forgive someone who isn't sorry? How do I move beyond a deep, deep wound that while it slowly heals, resurfaces painfully in the darkness of my room when all I have is my thoughts to occupy my time?
For awhile, I put my Bible aside. All it did was create more conflict within me and I just didn't want to deal with it. Lately, however, I have pulled it back out, begging the God of the universe, the one I trust with all my heart, but just don't understand, to show Himself to me. This morning, this is what I read:

"For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls." 1 Peter 2:21-25 (Emphasis mine)
I want so desperately to be told by the people who hurt me, who shunned me, that I am acceptable, that I'm forgiven, that they love me again. But the fact of the matter is, I may never hear those words from them, but I have heard them from the only One who matters. I AM accepted. I AM forgiven. I AM loved. I was hurt and there has been no justice. There may never be any justice in this lifetime. The situation was a mess. I was hurt. I hurt other people and now I need to "leave my case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly", just like Jesus did when He was hung on that cross. On several occasions, He spoke not a word in His own defense. He didn't have to. He wasn't there to plead His case to His accusers. He left that in the hands of God and I am striving to do the same.
It's funny, really, when I think about scars. We can look at them two ways. We can despise them and try to cover them up, or we can embrace them and realize that they make us unique. I was told by a former friend of mine that I am "sensitive like a daisy" and I am, in every way of the word. I am sensitive to medications, heat, sound, smells, and light. And I'm sensitive to emotions. When I get hurt, I get deeply, seriously hurt. But God made me that way. He has a reason for wanting me to be that way and I know that I can trust Him with that. I have a tattoo on my shoulder of a daisy and the words "Fearfully and Wonderfully made". Sensitive like a daisy, just like I was made to be.

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