by Dr. Don Colbert
Corrie ten Boom survived the Nazi concentration camps during World War II. She often talked about the hate she harbored for years toward the German guards who abused her during that horrible ordeal. She also talked about the healing she experienced when she was finally able to forgive them. She often stated, regarding survivors of the Holocaust, it was those who were able to forgive who were best able to rebuild their lives. In my book Deadly Emotions, I wrote a chapter on the damaging effects of resentment and bitterness. Along with worry, fear, anger and depression, resentment and bitterness can take a massive toll on your health.
All of us feel victimized at times. It may be the result of someone intentionally hurting us or a random accident. It may be a major life changing event such as losing your job, being robbed or having a heart attack. Or it may be something less traumatic such as someone criticizing you behind your back or missing a promotion. It may be a general sense of how unfair life is or something far more personal involving family or friends. We may even feel bitterness toward God.
Regardless of who or what hurts us, it’s normal to feel resentment and bitterness. It’s normal to be angry and even desire some type of vindication. But when does it become a health issue? Part of the answer has to do with how long we maintain the negative emotional state. A few minutes or even a few days of bitterness and resentment are probably insignificant to most people, but months and years of bitterness and resentment are a different story. There are numerous studies linking long term resentment and bitterness to multiple diseases of both the mind and the body. A burst of chemicals being released during short periods of pain, frustration and disappointment may actually benefit us in some ways; but lower amounts of these same chemicals being released steadily over months and years negative emotion can lead to cancer, heart disease and mental illness in most people if not managed appropriately.
How can you protect your health when faced with unfair and undeserved suffering and mistreatment? First, remain optimistic and hopeful. This is where your faith in a loving Creator becomes so important. As the Psalmist says, “Weeping may remain for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” Remember, everything comes to pass, nothing comes to stay. Even in the face of death, there is hope in Him who conquered death. Those who remain hopeful and optimistic during challenging and painful times live longer and healthier than those who surrender to pessimism and despair.
Secondly, and just as importantly, learn to forgive. The most often quoted prayer in scripture contains the words, “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.” Learning to forgive is a key to good health. The act of forgiveness not only stops the onslaught of harmful chemicals described above, it also releases health promoting chemicals.
For most people forgiveness happens over time and with some degree of effort. It may be cultivated with the help of a counselor or a close friend. Regardless of how difficult it may be to finally forgive the persons or institutions that hurt you, the benefits are worth it. Like Corrie ten Boom, there are numerous other stories of individuals being physically and emotionally healed after learning to forgive. Body, mind and spirit are all connected. Let the spiritual energies released through hope and forgiveness keep your mind and body happy and healthy.
Tramp For The Lord, with Jamie Buckingham (1974)
Psalm 30:5, New International Version of the Bible.
Luke 11:4, New International Version of the Bible.
© 2006-2011 Dr. Don Colbert, MD PA
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Showing posts with label hurt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hurt. Show all posts
11/3/11
8/13/11
Why should I not commit suicide?
Question: "Why should I not commit suicide?"
Answer: Our hearts go out to those who have thoughts of ending their own lives through suicide. If that is you right now, it may speak of many emotions, such as feelings of hopelessness and despair. You may feel like you are in the deepest pit, and you doubt there is any hope of things getting better. No one seems to care or understand where you are coming from. Life just is not worth living...or is it?
If you will take a few moments to consider letting God truly be God in your life right now, He will prove how big He really is, “for nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). Perhaps scars from past hurts have resulted in an overwhelming sense of rejection or abandonment. That may lead to self-pity, anger, bitterness, vengeful thoughts, or unhealthy fears that have caused problems in some of your most important relationships.
Why should you not commit suicide? Friend, no matter how bad things are in your life, there is a God of love who is waiting for you to let Him guide you through your tunnel of despair and out into His marvelous light. He is your sure hope. His name is Jesus.
This Jesus, the sinless Son of God, identifies with you in your time of rejection and humiliation. The prophet Isaiah wrote of Him in Isaiah 53:2-6, describing Him as a man who was “despised and rejected” by everyone. His life was full of sorrow and suffering. But the sorrows He bore were not His own; they were ours. He was pierced, wounded, and crushed, all because of our sin. Because of His suffering, our lives can be redeemed and made whole.
Friend, Jesus Christ endured all this so that you might have all your sins forgiven. Whatever weight of guilt you carry, know that He will forgive you if you humbly receive Him as your Savior. “...Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you...” (Psalm 50:15). Nothing you have ever done is too bad for Jesus to forgive. Some of His choicest servants committed gross sins like murder (Moses), murder and adultery (King David), and physical and emotional abuse (the apostle Paul). Yet they found forgiveness and a new abundant life in the Lord. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Why should you not commit suicide? Friend, God stands ready to repair what is “broken,” namely, the life you have now, the life you want to end by suicide. In Isaiah 61:1-3, the prophet wrote, “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 prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
Come to Jesus, and let Him restore your joy and usefulness as you trust Him to begin a new work in your life. He promises to restore the joy you have lost and give you a new spirit to sustain you. Your broken heart is precious to Him: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:12, 15-17).
Will you accept the Lord as your Savior and Shepherd? He will guide your thoughts and steps—one day at a time—through His Word, the Bible. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you” (Psalm 32:8). “He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure” (Isaiah 33:6). In Christ, you will still have struggles, but you will now have hope. He is “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you in your hour of decision.
If you desire to trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, speak these words in your heart to God: “God, I need you in my life. Please forgive me for all that I have done. I place my faith in Jesus Christ and believe that He is my Savior. Please cleanse me, heal me, and restore my joy in life. Thank You for Your love for me and for Jesus' death on my behalf.”
Have you made a decision to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior because of what you have read here? If so, please click here: http://www.gotquestions.org/now-what2.html
If you have any questions, please use the question form on the Bible Questions Answered page.
Other Article: What is the Christian view of suicide? What does the Bible say about suicide?
© Copyright 2002-2011 Got Questions Ministries - All Rights Reserved.
www.gotquestions.org - Bible Questions Answered
Answer: Our hearts go out to those who have thoughts of ending their own lives through suicide. If that is you right now, it may speak of many emotions, such as feelings of hopelessness and despair. You may feel like you are in the deepest pit, and you doubt there is any hope of things getting better. No one seems to care or understand where you are coming from. Life just is not worth living...or is it?
If you will take a few moments to consider letting God truly be God in your life right now, He will prove how big He really is, “for nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). Perhaps scars from past hurts have resulted in an overwhelming sense of rejection or abandonment. That may lead to self-pity, anger, bitterness, vengeful thoughts, or unhealthy fears that have caused problems in some of your most important relationships.
Why should you not commit suicide? Friend, no matter how bad things are in your life, there is a God of love who is waiting for you to let Him guide you through your tunnel of despair and out into His marvelous light. He is your sure hope. His name is Jesus.
This Jesus, the sinless Son of God, identifies with you in your time of rejection and humiliation. The prophet Isaiah wrote of Him in Isaiah 53:2-6, describing Him as a man who was “despised and rejected” by everyone. His life was full of sorrow and suffering. But the sorrows He bore were not His own; they were ours. He was pierced, wounded, and crushed, all because of our sin. Because of His suffering, our lives can be redeemed and made whole.
Friend, Jesus Christ endured all this so that you might have all your sins forgiven. Whatever weight of guilt you carry, know that He will forgive you if you humbly receive Him as your Savior. “...Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you...” (Psalm 50:15). Nothing you have ever done is too bad for Jesus to forgive. Some of His choicest servants committed gross sins like murder (Moses), murder and adultery (King David), and physical and emotional abuse (the apostle Paul). Yet they found forgiveness and a new abundant life in the Lord. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Why should you not commit suicide? Friend, God stands ready to repair what is “broken,” namely, the life you have now, the life you want to end by suicide. In Isaiah 61:1-3, the prophet wrote, “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 prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
Come to Jesus, and let Him restore your joy and usefulness as you trust Him to begin a new work in your life. He promises to restore the joy you have lost and give you a new spirit to sustain you. Your broken heart is precious to Him: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:12, 15-17).
Will you accept the Lord as your Savior and Shepherd? He will guide your thoughts and steps—one day at a time—through His Word, the Bible. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you” (Psalm 32:8). “He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure” (Isaiah 33:6). In Christ, you will still have struggles, but you will now have hope. He is “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you in your hour of decision.
If you desire to trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, speak these words in your heart to God: “God, I need you in my life. Please forgive me for all that I have done. I place my faith in Jesus Christ and believe that He is my Savior. Please cleanse me, heal me, and restore my joy in life. Thank You for Your love for me and for Jesus' death on my behalf.”
Have you made a decision to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior because of what you have read here? If so, please click here: http://www.gotquestions.org/now-what2.html
If you have any questions, please use the question form on the Bible Questions Answered page.
Other Article: What is the Christian view of suicide? What does the Bible say about suicide?
© Copyright 2002-2011 Got Questions Ministries - All Rights Reserved.
www.gotquestions.org - Bible Questions Answered
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