Hurt People Hurt People

Hurt people hurt people. We’ve all heard that line before and nodded approvingly along. Usually it jars a memory of “that” person harming me. It’s very rarely the thought of what I did to someone else.

The Bible speaks with clarity on the reality of sinful nature. We are all sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). It’s so easy for us to hear those words and immediately jump to defending ourselves – explaining how we may be a sinner but not as bad as that other person over there.

Here’s the problem with that – sin is sin. There is no hierarchy like the way our judicial system works in the West. Where one crime is more punishable than another. Sin is separation from God. There is no sin that makes you more or less separated than another – the payment is flat across the board.

I had a sobering moment the other day where I hurt someone else. I realized, painfully so, that I am no greater than anyone else. I am no less susceptible to falling into sin than him, her, or the other guy.

A hard conversation needed to be had accompanied with a sincere apology. The hardest part for me was being confronted with the fact that I, in my brokenness, have the capacity to hurt people deeply if I’m not walking in step with the Lord.

Now, there’s forgiveness and there’s grace and I am thankful for those things, but, although healing, those things don’t cover up scars. God is in the business of redeeming and restoring. This is great news! He works this way to grow and mature us.

There is coming a day when we will reach the fullness of our salvation and be one with God. There’s a way of life that’s eternal where restoration and redemption will have their completed work. The tools will no longer be needed moving forward. The hurt and the pain that we cause each other will be done away with.

Oh, what a way of life this will be. Not only so that you and I are protected from experiencing the pain of being hurt by others, but we will also be restored to the point where we no longer have the capacity to be the harm bringer towards another.

Oh, Lord, come quickly. Friend, is there a person you need to call and apologize to? Is there forgiveness you need to give to another? The beauty of redemption here is this, although it may not make relationships whole, it gives the parties an opportunity to forgive, repent, and live a more sanctified way.

We’ve all been hurt by people, that one’s easy. But would we never fall so far out of humility to think we no longer have the capacity to hurt another. How we interact with people matters. I was reminded of that lesson the other day. Would this be a warning and a charge to treat people as you would have them treat you. Let’s be a people who seek to bring life to all our relationships and interactions with others.