When someone harms us, our first impulse may be to attack back; but God encourages us not to adopt an eye-for-an-eye mentality and to forgive enemies instead.
Not always pleasant or comforting, God’s will doesn’t always line up with what feels best for us. Sometimes it hurts.
1. He loves you
God shows his true love through acts such as helping your spouse when you’re too tired, or praying for enemies as they endure suffering. He doesn’t impose fear upon us but comfort, hope and strength – He lays down His life for his children (Galatians 2:20)! He knows you personally and loved you even before you were even created – Psalm 139 tells us this truthful fact about our creator who created you in your mother’s womb before creating plans just for you (Galatians 2:20). In fact, He sent His only Son into this world to die just so He could show His great love (Romans 5:8)!
Once we allow God into our lives, our lives change dramatically and no longer become slaves of sin. As our love for Him increases, so too does our ability to love others more like He loves them – fulfilling God’s words: “Do not repay evil with evil; forgive your enemies, and pray for them” (Romans 12:19). People are imperfect beings who will inevitably cause us harm knowingly or unknowingly at some point during their lifetimes – perhaps unknowingly doing things they shouldn’t; God doesn’t take offense at this, but rather He knows when He’s needed when dealing with these people is necessary.
People who do not love God tend to seek for ways to extract rather than give, becoming drains on those they care about and ultimately hurtful in the end. On the contrary, God’s love brings fullness and joy in its wake.
Once we realize God’s love goes beyond what our understanding allows, it helps us let go of any idea that He will punish those who hurt us and trust that His will do good to them anyway, to His glory and ours. King David provides an excellent example for how to love our enemies as much as He loved David himself.
2. He is just
One way that God shows his love to us is through being just. He doesn’t let people off easy, but rather dispenses punishment and rewards according to what they have done wrong. He does this not only for believers but unbelievers as well – showing his impartiality rather than favouritism or playing favorites in society’s eyes.
The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God is a just God, an essential trait in his character. However, “just” encompasses more than fairness – it also means righteousness and is used to describe him in Psalm 17:13 as well as Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away sin from all people”.
God’s standards of right and wrong are the ultimate standard for his universe, unlike our own which tend to be affected by cultural factors or other people’s opinions and judgments. God is consistent, fair, and pure in his standards compared to us humans who often allow outside influences or opinions to determine them.
As a perfect and holy Being, He sees and knows every action and thought of all people who have ever lived or will live; He can see all that lies hidden from Him; so prayer for discernment and trusting in him can only strengthen both. This is why it’s crucial to pray for guidance.
As you can see, believing in God and his standards for what constitutes right and wrong can make life much simpler. Believers know they can rely on Him always doing what is just and fair even if this means hurting someone along the way – this demonstrates why being patient and forgiving toward others should always be practiced when their behavior appears unacceptable to you – remember God is both love and justice so his promises should always be honored equally.
3. He can bring good out of bad
We live in an imperfect world where suffering is inevitable. Be it death of a loved one, betrayal from friends or a break-up between romantic partners – these can all cause much anguish and sorrow; at other times our actions cause others or even ourselves great discomfort and pain.
People often ask why a good God allows suffering to occur on Earth. The Bible clearly demonstrates this by declaring, “God is Lord over everything on this Earth – good and bad alike” (Genesis 1:28) He can change events immediately, yet our free will gives us no guarantees we’ll choose positive or avoid destructive paths in life.
Sometimes what appears to be an irreparable tragedy becomes an incredible opportunity for growth and ministry. People who have struggled with depression, grief over a loved one’s passing, infertility or addiction can provide invaluable support and hope to those experiencing similar trials, becoming the hands and feet of Christ in ways people who haven’t gone through similar trials can’t.
Suffering can also teach us more compassion towards those who wrong us, empathizing more with mental illness sufferers or those cheated out of friendship by close companions. Thus, our suffering teaches us to become better disciples of Christ who loves all humanity despite its flaws.
Spiritual awakening can also arise during painful experiences. We see this demonstrated in Joseph’s story from Genesis 37. Despite being sold into slavery and experiencing all types of hardships, his faith never wavered despite all that he endured; rather he used his suffering as an opportunity to give back and bless those around him.
No matter what is going on for you right now, don’t give up hope in God. He can take even the worst situations and turn them into beauty for His glory. Pray to Him and allow Him to help transform difficult times into blessings – Romans 8:28 states this very truthfully: “God causes all things to work together for good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose”. Have faith that He will fulfill this promise!
4. He is a good parent
When someone close to us causes hurt, it can be challenging to know how best to respond. Some will retreat further while others try to brush it aside by pushing their feelings underneath the rug or trying to gloss it over altogether. As Christians it’s important to remember that God cares deeply about our suffering; He understands our pain when others hurt us and will never allow more than we can bear.
He is our Father, and like any parent He will chastise, discipline, and train His children as He desires for them to grow closer to Christ and mature spiritually. Unfortunately this may lead to hardships and losses; just like when children first learn how to walk they must fall often until they learn balance on their feet; our Heavenly Father allows hard lessons in life in order for us to mature spiritually.
The Bible also instructs us that, to gain an insight into how our Heavenly Father will treat us, it’s helpful to observe how He treats his Son Jesus. While on Earth He endured considerable physical, emotional, and relational hardship as He taught people around Him how they could follow Him – an excellent illustration of our heavenly father’s unconditional love even when our children bring harm or sorrow into their lives.
Living in an imperfect world means it is inevitable that we will experience pain from others; yet our God is an understanding Father who does what is best for His children – including allowing them to turn away for awhile until they realize they need Him again and return home.
