The other
day I had a strange urge.
While at a friend’s house in Arizona, I decided to hit a
few baseballs in their batting cage. (Although this is not
a normal behavior for me, this is not the strange urge that I am
referring to.) After setting the machine to throw 60 mile
an hour fastballs, I considered stepping into a pitch to see what
it felt like.
 For years, I have watched baseball players
take 90+ mile an hour fastballs in their knee or rib cages and
wondered how much that would hurt. So, I almost talked myself
into experimenting with a ball hurling 60 miles an hour at my body.
Luckily, I came to my senses and didn’t take the hit, but
as I was laughing about it with some friends in the car later that
night, I realized how many people in the world “step into” painful
situations in real life.
By ignoring the warning signs, some cause themselves pain by getting
involved in dysfunctional relationships. By living for the
moment, many make poor decisions with substances and find themselves
trapped in habitual cycles that they cannot escape. And,
still others cause themselves pain as they seek control through
eating disorders, immoral activities, or self-mutilation.
When I think of all of the people that
are causing themselves pain, my heart hurts. I want them
to know that there is a better way.
If you are dealing with challenges in life and struggling to make
the right decisions, I want you to know the same. God longs
to protect you. Instead of pain, he wants to grant you peace. Instead
of your broken heart, Jesus wants to comfort you. If you have been
or are being taken advantage of, He wants to come to your defense.
Don’t believe me? Look what the Bible says about
Jesus.
The Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim freedom for the captives
And release from darkness for the Lord’s prisoners…
To comfort all who mourn.
Isaiah 61:1-2
Jesus cares about you and wants to heal your hurts, give you peace,
and release you from the things that hold you captive. He
doesn’t like seeing you step in front of hard-charging pitches. Instead,
he wants to see you whole, healthy, and living the life He intended
for you.
He is right there next to you, ready to
rush to your aide. And, you can invite his presence, access His
peace, and engage his offer of healing by reaching out to him right
now. If you need God to reach into your situation right now…I
mean, really reach in and help you discover hope, take a minute
and talk to him right now. By praying a prayer similar to the one
below, you can invite God into your difficult situations.
God, I thank you that you love me and that you want the best
for me. Through Jesus, you want to heal me of my hurt. You
want to bind up my broken heart, release me from captivity, and shine
light into my darkness. God, right now, I invite you to do
that. I am wounded, and don’t know how to break free. Sometimes
I cause myself pain just trying to find peace. Help me stop
that trend. Teach me to trust you. To rest in you. And
to allow you to heal me. In the powerful name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
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