Hiding Pain

I've been meaning to get this post up for awhile now, but I've been lacking time to sit down and write. The topic of pain is something I've been thinking on lately and I'm not sure where this is going to go or how these thoughts will unfold. Forgive me in advance if it's really random.

People hide pain all the time. You may not see it, but I can assure you it's there. So many individuals have a huge load of of hurt bottled up and tucked away deep inside of them. Of course, they'll never tell you. They usually don't want anybody to know it's there. But all of a sudden they come to a point where it comes to the surface and they want to burst.

I've come to really like songs that speak about a person's pain, songs that challenge Christians to reach out to those who are hurting, songs that encourage people to admit their hurt. Casting Crowns has a few such songs. One called Does Anybody Hear Her tells the story of a girl who longs to be accepted and loved and who gives herself away in search of affection. At one point, she tries going to church, but nobody reaches out to help her. Stained Glass Masquerade is another one that speaks about hiding pain and feelings of inadequacy and putting on a mask and making it looks like everything's okay. But I also love to listen to songs that speak about people healing. Held by Natalie Grant is a song of comfort when I'm going through a hard time.

The truth is, people are hurting all around us, and although they may never say anything, they're inwardly crying out for someone to care. Are you reaching out to them? Or are you one of those who is hurting and needs someone to care? Find a trusted friend and talk to them. You don't need to carry your load alone. I would just add a word of caution though. Often our pain is caused by other people and although it can often be difficult, try to avoid using names or slandering others where possible. And be careful with what you share with friends of the opposite sex. Some things can be inappropriate to share in detail and can cause an unhealthy emotional attachment.

And it could also be that one of your friends has hurt you. Or maybe you have hurt them. Of course you'd rather not to talk about it. You don't want to risk damaging your friendship. Talking to a friend about how you have hurt each other can be an extremely difficult thing to do, but my experience has actually been that it draws us closer together instead of tearing us apart. It can be very humbling either way, but it's worth saving a close friendship.

So there's a few of my thoughts on the matter from the past few weeks. My prayer is that you would seek to help others in their times of pain and seek God's healing and peace for your own. God bless!