Facing brokenness

There is a great deal of brokenness in the world today, because of bad relationships, broken marriages, people who grew up in homes where they did not receive the love they needed from their parents, homes where lies and deceit are commonplace and everyone is looking after their own needs instead of looking after each other.

One result of all this is a lot of deeply hurting people who have lost hope of finding happiness in a hostile world, or angry people, who hardly even understand where their anger is coming from, yet who spread bitterness and resentment wherever they go. 

They have children who also grow up feeling unloved and unwanted, because their parents didn't receive the love they needed, and therefore don't know how to love them. Many are depressed because they are unhappy with their circumstances but do not have the personal knowledge or understanding to change their situation.

The good news is that “Jesus came to heal the broken-hearted and set the captives free, to open the eyes of the blind and heal all those who are oppressed by the devil”.

If you have been a victim of pain and heartache, violence and abuse, or even if you have lesser complaints but are still suffering emotionally in some way, then this will be good news for you.

However, painful relationships and situations in your life that have been destructive over the years will take time to work through, unless God gives you a miracle of instant transformation. Miracles do still happen, where God steps in and changes situations and people overnight, but this is not the usual way He works, so we must learn how to work with Him to improve our life.

The first step for all of us is to realize that Jesus Christ, God's Son, came to earth to save us and to bring us into right relationship with God. 

The reason why it is so important to tackle these problems from a Christian perspective is that only Jesus Christ can actually remove the sting of pain from your life, heal the wounds and give you a fresh, new start.

This means, as a child of God, you are welcome to come to your heavenly Father at any time of the day or night and ask Him for help and He will gladly help you, just as any good Father will help his child. 

However, the earthly part of you, your body and soul (mind and emotions) need to be renewed and restored, and this is a process that happens as we grow in Christ. 

...that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth...Ephesians 4:22-24 (NASB)

The problem is that all the experiences of your life so far, have shaped the person that you are today. Your brain is like a computer filing and storing away, either consciously or sub-consciously, every significant conversation and experience and sometimes seemingly insignificant incidents which actually had a profound effect on your life. 

It's important that you learn how to deal with these emotions and memories, because often the negative ones can stop you moving forward into a new and better life. 

When bad things happen, we react to them. If those same things happen on a recurring basis, we repeat our reactions until they actually get a strong hold on our lives. (i.e. those reactions become strongholds.)

For instance, if you reacted to alcoholic parents by yelling and screaming about your frustrations, then yelling and screaming would become your 'normal' way of reacting to situations that are out of your control. This may have become a stronghold in your life.

Another person with the same parents may react by isolating themselves in their bedroom to escape from their problems. That person may later have trouble building close friendships or loving relationships because of the stronghold of isolation that has been built.

Many people suffer from rejection because they have been made to feel 'small' or 'useless' as a child. People suffering from rejection often build an emotional 'wall of protection' around their life so that "no one can hurt me again". The problem is that this 'wall' keeps all the original pain inside. Another problem is that the 'wall' may keep out hurt from other people, but it also is a barrier to receiving love - from people, or even from God.

The good news is that God wants to help you. If you need help to break free of your past, why not send us a message to ask for prayer?