‘I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.’ 2 Kings 20:5 NIV
Just sitting waiting for healing to happen doesn’t help; it only lengthens the process. Working to become a positive influence is what moves things forward. If you want to help someone you’ve hurt heal:
Listen. When your loved one needs to talk, listen without trying to defend, explain, rationalise or excuse your behaviour. Don’t try to correct their ‘misperceptions’ or lessen their pain by minimising it.
Validate. Don’t tell somebody, ‘You shouldn't feel that way.’ When people talk about their pain, often they’re doing the work necessary to help them heal. By letting them know their feelings are legitimate rather than making them feel weak or silly, you enable them to work through the negative emotions.
Apologise. Yes, again! Whoever said, ‘Love means never having to say you’re sorry,’ didn’t know much about human relationships. Every genuine apology promotes healing. A heartfelt ‘I’m so sorry’ is medicine to a wounded soul. So apply it till it's no longer needed—and your loved one will let you know when that is.
Repair. Offer to help repair the hurt you’ve caused. ‘I know I’ve wounded you, and I really want to know what I can do to help heal the damage.’ Genuinely spoken, those words realign and make you part of the solution, not just the cause of the problem.
God said, ‘I have heard your prayers and seen your tears; I will heal you,’ and the sooner you become actively engaged in promoting the healing process, the sooner you’ll get out of the penalty box and back on the field.
SoulFood: 1 Sam 18:1–20:29 Luke 24:13–24, Ps 68:19–35, Pr 22:6
word4today an adaptation of The Word For Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2024
