Despite having a blessed and happy life, there are times when I get hurt because of disappointment, rejection or humiliation by those who are the closest to me; it could be my mom, my husband, my daughter, close friends or colleagues. Does it happen to you? When this happens, what do you do? If your answer is praying, you are on the right track. What does your prayer like? My prayer used to be something like this, “Lord, I am hurt because of what my husband said, please change him to be someone who is sweet with his words.” Not until I was 30 something-year-old when I finally realized that praying for those closest to us to have change to become more like Christ is a good thing to do, but it is only God’s grace that will change someone, and He has his own time. We may have to pray for years until we finally see a change in the people we pray for or in some cases we have not seen changes even we have prayed for long time. I learned that when facing painful situation, the first thing I could pray for would be myself. I pray for God to heal my wound. I pray that I could have a change of heart that allows me to understand and accept. I pray that I could release forgiveness. I pray and surrender to God. I free myself from my own expectation of others and from past memories. I trust completely in God for His unlimited power and love. As King David said in Psalm 43: 5, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Our hope is only in God. [EH]
