Give Our Hurts to God

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Give Our Hurts to God

by Chad Van De Griek

Iremember back to when I was around nine years old or so, I was getting out of the minivan and working to make my way into the house with the rest of the family. At that point in my life, I was still learning how to accomplish physical tasks (like getting out of the car) by myself. As a result, it would often take a little bit of time for me to do. On this particular night, a former family member was growing impatient as I slowly made my way from the van to my awaiting reverse walker. He quickly and assertively picks me up and begins to carry me into the house. As we made our way into the house, he began to tell me that “people would get tired of carrying me around,” that I needed to learn to do things on my own, and to quit being, as he put it, “babied.”

It’s interesting how little moments like the one I just described can often bring the most damage to one’s heart and mind. Even after fifteen plus years have passed, these painful words can still very much impact the way I think, speak, and act on a daily basis. I often find myself trying to get things done quickly when I know that people are waiting on me, and I am very apologetic if I feel like I am taking too much time to complete a particular task. I don’t want to feel like a burden or hindrance, so I try to shoulder everything on my own. And most of those habits stem from those words spoken on a quiet evening all those years ago.

For so long, I took those words to heart, and I let them control me in a lot of ways. But as I think back on things, I realize that I can’t let someone else’s unhealthy choices become the loudest voice in my head. Of course, those words hurt, and I won’t deny that or pretend like they didn’t impact me. But I can’t let the words of broken and hurting people be the ones that carry the most weight in my heart and mind.

Life is hard. People are going to say and do things that hurt. But I am realizing that forgiving those people is much more about me and less about the person who hurt me. It’s about me trusting God enough to let them go. It’s not my job to make sure they understand how much they hurt me or for me to prove them wrong. I can’t let the pain that they caused control me. I have to give it to God and trust that I am never alone in that battle. No, it’s not easy. Yes, there will be plenty of days where the pain comes flooding back or days where we have to wrestle with that pain and forgiveness over and over. That doesn’t mean that anything is wrong with you or me. It shows that we’re human. We must continuously give our hurts to God and lean on those around us that we trust.

About The Author

Chad Van De Griek lives in Nashville, TN! He loves Jesus, hockey (Go Preds), and is a big Bible nerd. Chad was born with Cerebral Palsy and is very passionate about using his writing as a way to show God’s love to everyone! You can find more of his writing at chadvandegriek.wordpress.com.