Chains of Hurt

            It seems like there’s always something horrible on the news. People are murdered, raped, harassed, stolen from, and countless other things every single day. Families are dying of starvation all around the world, child pornography is becoming more and more popular, girls and boys are sold into sex slavery at shockingly young ages. The bottom line is that our world is completely corrupted. Pain is inevitable.

            But here’s the good news: When the world seemed hopeless and alone, the Light of the World came into darkness and created life. I’m sure you can guess who this person is. Jesus. A lot of the time, people are misled about Christianity. They view it as a religious set of rules that are not meant to be broken, and if they are broken, punishment is the result. But that’s exactly what Jesus doesn’t want us to think, because it couldn’t be further from the truth. Internalize this: Jesus wants a relationship with you- He wants to know you and teach you and show you the love that He has for you. THAT is the truth.

            Jesus came to this world with a task. He came to show people love and to free them from the burdens that this world has placed on their shoulders. Picture a prison (sounds drastic, I know). People are chained up because they’ve done something wrong- murder, theft, rape, etc. They probably beat themselves up over it all the time (or maybe they don’t). They wish that they had a way out of the hole into which they’d dug themselves- they want freedom. Then, the judge that had sentenced all of these people to prison shows up and his son is with him. The judge feels horribly that these people have disobeyed and had to suffer because of their poor choices, and His son feels their pain as well. But, because he is just and fair he knows that he can’t let them go without someone paying the price for their wrong. So the son says, “Dad, I want to take their punishment. I don’t care what crimes they’ve committed or how far down into the hole they are. Let me take their place so you can free them.” The dad is grieved because he loves his son dearly, and would never want him to suffer because he had done nothing that deserved a punishment. But he realizes what he has to do because of the pain that the prisoners are going through, and he permits his son to take the prisoners’ punishment. The prisoners are changed by this father and son- by the grace and mercy that they have shown toward them. The precious gift that has been given to them changes their hearts, and they turn from their old ways and live with gratefulness to the people who had radically changed their lives.

            I know it sounds crazy, but the world is the prison and God is the judge. Although the analogy doesn’t fit perfectly, it’s still a great representation of God’s love and grace, and the ultimate price that Jesus had to pay by dying on the cross so that we could be set free.

            I’m guessing that most people reading this blog haven’t done something worthy of a prison sentence. What are the chains from which Jesus freed us then? Although they’re not very drastic in our eyes, they mean a lot to God. These chains are anything that is a burden to us. Insecurity, fear, wanting to belong, past and current hurts, people who you cannot forgive, broken families, lack of trust,  weakness, emptiness, and depression are just a few of the countless burdens that weigh us down in our lives. Jesus wants to replace our hurt with healing.

            Here’s the bottom line: Everyone goes through pain. It leaves us broken and hurt, and sometimes the damage seems irreparable.  But when Jesus showed up, He came to fill the void in our hearts and make us whole again. It’s not by following all the rules and living “religiously” that you will be freed- it’s through having a relationship with Christ and receiving His precious gift. If this gift doesn’t sound appealing to you, then I don’t know what else will. I pray that you will accept this gift and be freed from your chains of hurt.

- Mya Grace

Isaiah 53

Matthew 11:28, 29

1 Peter 1:18, 19

John 1:3-5, 3:16-21

Psalm 34:18, 147:3