Loving through the Pain

There can be a dread that you live as you walk in the shoes of the Prophet. There are times that you can feel completely abandoned and alone. People who once supported you will look at you like you have ten heads. They will keep you at arm’s length calling you a friend when in reality you have just become a convenient contact. There is real suffering in the life a Prophet. One of the things that you have to learn to do is forgive completely and try not to judge those that judge you. This is hard. I can preach this all day long but there are times when I run into the wall of judgement. I don’t even realize sometimes that I am doing it but I do. There are times when you will hunger for friendship and no friendship will be there. You will long for like-minded people to speak into your life but when you approach them they don’t make time for your life or worse yet they attack you. You are left with only one option and that is cling to God. He is the only one that will never leave you nor forsake you. Some people will like you for a season but they can change. I have had them change against me many times. There are times that they will celebrate your life and then there are times that they will completely shun you. You must not find your identity in them. You must clamor only toward God. You will never please man. Jesus knew what was in the heart of the people. You must find your identity in God alone. You must let his voice be your resting place. However, that does not mean that you are to reject the people that abandon you or forsake you. Thankfully Jesus bore the cross even when we didn’t deserve it. His motivation was the mind of God and as a result his heart was filled with love for humanity. I don’t love like Jesus. There are times that I feel the love of Jesus in me and there are times that I am just stubborn old me. There are times that I love those that hurt me and there are times when I can not love through my pain. In those hours I seek the Lord for healing. I don’t want to be stopped by the rejection, the abandonment or the pain. I don’t want people’s bad attitudes toward me to define the steps that I take. I have to say that last year I go hurt really bad and I walked away from some people. I now realize that I was wrong. These people treated me badly but my reaction was one of judgment and now I have to make things right from my end. Judgement can keep you from entering into the promises or the fullness of God for your life. For my part I want to walk in the fullness so even when I am treated poorly I must find the grace to love even those that would hurt me. Again I am not always successful with this, but by the power of Christ in me I will become more loving. In truth the perfect love of Christ dwells in me and he is constantly shining through my life. That is the grace of God and yet my mind falls into darkness at times. I need the Holy Spirit to come in those moments to remind me that I am a son of God, redeemed and set free. I need the Holy Spirit to fill me with the presence of Jesus so that I can walk humbly in the world. I love my God with all my heart and soul and mind. I know he loves me the same. So I will by His grace get to the places he has in store for me. It is already done through the power of the Cross.