Topic: Your Healing Helps Others [Joyce Meyer Devotional 5 December 2020]
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As for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.— 2 Chronicles 15:7 (NIV)
Anytime a person is wounded in their soul, that woundedness affects other people. It can have an impact on your social life, especially if your pain has caused you not to trust people or not to want to enter into healthy relationships. If you’re a spouse or a parent, one of the consequences of the hurt from your past is that it can negatively influence your relationships with your husband or wife and your children, unless you let God heal you. It is sad to think about the fact that the pain one person has suffered can ultimately cause more pain to others, but it’s true. However, there is also a greater truth in these situations: Your healing can also affect the people around you in a hugely positive way.
I can’t overemphasize the importance of our relationships with other people. Every area of our lives includes relationships of some sort, whether they’re on‑the-surface acquaintances, deep friendships, or family relationships. All we have to offer to the people around us is what’s inside us. If our hearts are filled with pain, anger, fear, rejection, or other negative qualities, that’s what we give the people in our lives. But if we’re filled with peace, love, joy, hope, and other godly traits, then we can share those good things with them.
Think about your relationships for a minute. Is there a steady stream of good things flowing from you to your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers? Or do people feel like they have to be on guard when they’re around you because they’ve learned they won’t hear anything encouraging or uplifting? Do you talk about yourself and your problems constantly, or do you express a genuine interest in how other people are doing? When you hear about something good happening for someone else, can you sincerely rejoice with that person, or do you find yourself jealous inside? Guess what? Every bit of negativity I’ve mentioned in this paragraph can be eliminated as your soul is healed. God wants to bring you into a place of genuine wholeness not only for yourself, but so you can be a blessing to those around you.
The journey to healing is not always smooth and easy. It will require you to take an honest look at some painful places in your life and allow the Lord to touch and heal them. In those difficult moments, I encourage you to press on, remembering that your healing can and will have a positive impact on many people if you don’t give up. When I was healing, I didn’t like to think about how my past wounds had hurt other people before my soul was healed, but I can rejoice now because God is using the healing He’s done in my heart to help others. Stay on your healing journey and watch how He will use you!
Prayer Starter: Jesus, please give me the grace not to give up on the healing work You’re doing in my heart. Thank You for restoring me so I can enjoy life again and help others heal. In Jesus’ name, amen.