Quote:
Originally Posted by KeptByTheWord
Just try it, ILG, just try praying, truly praying for those who have hurt you, and see if the Lord doesn't do the healing work in your life that you desire.
You are gifted, talented and your true spirit shines in so many ways here on the forum. I believe the Lord is wanting to open a new chapter in your life, a new door to walk for you to walk through.
As a fellow sister in Christ, I humbly share the above, believing above all in a Saviour who can heal, not just our bodies, but our hearts and He can restore far more, above and beyond what you can see with your natural eyes.
Praying for you about all this, my friend  :hugs |
I appreciate what you wrote very much. It is very nice. That said, please don't assume that I have not prayed for those who hurt me. Actually, I don't hold much malice towards them. I hold some resentment but for the most part, it is let go. People also assume that because I am not attending church that I must still have gaping open wounds. I lay in bed last night and this allegory came to mind:
The Indian Brave
There once was an Indian Brave who was part of a tribe who valued horse riding very highly. He was not originally part of this tribe, but of another, whose parents gave him and untrained, wild horse. He fell off of this horse a number of times and healed and got back on only to be thrown again and again. He decided to become part of another tribe that he felt would give him a better horse. This tribe seemed very regal and strong. He was angry that he was given a wild, untrained horse when he was so young and felt he should have been started out on a better trained horse. He did ache in some spots, but he would find a better horse and be part of a better tribe. He was still young.
This tribe criticized his parents and his old tribe telling him that they never should have given him that wild horse at such a young age. He began to trust this tribe because they said all the right things. This tribe did not give him a horse but he had to earn his own. When he finally got his horse, after much fanfare by the elders about how well trained and wonderful this horse was, he found this horse to be very wild as well, but he trusted the elders and when he fell off the horse, he blamed himself. This happened over and over again. He could see the horse was wild. Others from his old tribe told him the elders were taking advantage of him and just wanted to sell him a wild horse, but he did not believe it. He kept riding this wild horse and kept getting thrown over and over. Most of the people around him in his new tribe had the best horses. They were rarely thrown. The brave was still young and he still healed quickly even though he was thrown often. The elders always said you had to get up when you were thrown or you were weak. So, he always got back up and got back on the horse.
One day, the chief said he had a special assignment for the brave. The brave felt honored. The chief gave him a special horse that he asked the brave to take on a long journey. The chief also sent an elder along on this journey with the brave. This horse was incredibly wild and the journey was long. Every time the brave was thrown off the horse, the elder would beat him and chastise him for not knowing how to ride the horse. He would tell him how special and good the horse was and he would tell him over and over how he himself was able to stay on his own horse. For a long time, the brave believed him. Then, the brave began to notice how well trained the elder's horse was. He noticed he was hardly ever thrown. He thought back and noticed this was true of all the horses rode by the elders and their offspring and even most of the tribe.
By the time they came back from the journey, the brave was completely broken. He had been thrown hundreds, maybe even thousands of times. The chief and the elders chastised him for walking funny and being in pain. They accused him of ruining the horse. One day, the brave overheard the chief and an elder talking. The chief said "I am very happy the brave broke that wild mustang for my son. I never would have put my own son on that horse". The son took the horse and abused it and one day, it broke it's leg and they had to put the horse down. The brave cried and cried because he had broken the horse and had gotten very close to it. But then son never appreciate any of it.
After all these things, the brave had an awakening. He realized the chief had intentionally gave him a wild horse while telling him the horse was good and safe. He had made him feel like he as a bad rider but really, it was because he had been such a good rider, brave and warrior that the chief had chosen him. He used him.
The brave could no longer even mount a horse, his body was so broken.
He had healed from all the falls but his body would have pain until he died for all the falls he took. He left the tribe. The tribe, elders and chief criticized him for leaving saying that they had given him such a special assignment and he never appreciated it. They said he was weak and useless because he could no longer ride.
The brave knew he would never ride again but he began to understand that you did not have to ride a horse to be brave. There were other ways that his mind was opening to. Every once in a while, he would sit outside the tribe in the dark, wishing he could see people that he loved but that trusted and revered the chief. He never would. He prayed for the chief and all the people in the tribe. He felt sorry for all of them. He was healed but the pain would always remain. He went back to his original tribe but he wasn't really 100% part of them either.
He walked wherever he went. And he thanked God. Some people never get up from a horse throw.