Truth is everybody is going to hurt you: you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for. Bob Marley
Meditation: Sometimes we are being hurt by those we are closest to or by those whom we love. Often they do not hurt us intentionally. More so the suffering and pain they are going through is impacting us as well, as we are closely connected with them. In some way we are indirectly sharing their suffering. There have been times when somebody else’s suffering became so toxic that I had to distance myself and let go of the connection we had. At other times the hurt that happened became an estranging force and the relationship changed or ended by itself. However, in every loving relationship we are going to be hurt. We just got to find the ones worth suffering for. As we choose life partners and friends, we choose a certain form of suffering and pain that will be part of those close loving relationships. But love is what helps us carry the others’ burdens, just as they carry the burdens we have and that we consequently become to them. Our shadows, our wounding, our family of origin dynamics, our idiosyncrasies – all of those can hurt the other whom we choose to love. And vice versa. However, the law of Christ is the power of love that enables us to endure certain burdens and accept them as part of the relationship.
Prayer: God of patience, You do not condone abuse, neglect, lying or other severe forms of hurt in relationships. You want us to walk away when the hurt is done intentional or is getting too much. But with those unintentional hurts in relationships, you model acceptance and forgiveness in a way that provokes me. I struggle at times to carry the burdens that come with being in close relationships. When I want to run from suffering, you ask me to stay. When I want to change the other person, you ask me to accept, forgive and work on changing myself. Help me to love myself and the other person whom I choose to love and who loves me. Amen
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 (NIV)
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