Hurt And Instinct

Today's blog is not my typical sunshine, cheerleader, make you want to run a marathon, Dream Big blog, but rather one of a bit of a heavier subject. Hurt and instinct. But one that hopefully will leave you with a deeper understanding and longing to be closer to God.

My sister had a cat named Bruiser for almost twelve years that she loved more than any other animal she's ever had or probably ever will have. He was given to her by someone that she was involved with at the time and after they broke up, she won custody of the feline because she was the one who had taken care of him during the two year realationship.

Anyway, she brought him to her new house and kept him for many years throughout his life, old age and death. He was her constant companion and best friend. He was different than any other kitten I've ever been around. We've all heard that cats are independent and go off on their own to spend the days doing what they want. They are known for being aloof and snobbish, if you will. But not Bruiser. He was the sweetest cat ever. He would lay in my sister's lap for hours if she sat still, he slept in her bed and followed her everywhere. He loved her as much as she loved him. It was a match made in fur baby Heaven.

Bruiser was around ten years of age when he got hurt and ran away. He had been his usual self that day, lying in her lap, following her around the house as she cleaned and did laundry so she had no inkling of what was about to take place.

My sister's husband had a dog that he loved as much as she loved her cat. His name was Puppy, an ironic name given to him on purpose because he was so big. Puppy had always seemed to get along with Bruiser until something happened that fateful day that caused everything to change. My sister saw Bruiser walk over to his bowl and begin to eat when, for some reason, Puppy decided that he would join him. But Bruiser being a cat, wanted nothing of the sort and so when Puppy stuck his nose in Bruiser's bowl, he got whacked by the cat's paw. Apparently that made Puppy angry and he unleashed on Bruiser, grabbing him with his strong jaw and hurting him. My brother-in-law was coming in as it happened and Bruiser apparently ran out the open door for the the very first time in his decade long life just as my sister turned her head. My brother-in-law didn't notice either that he'd ran past him and out the door. He went on into the house and carried on as usual. It was later that evening that my sister began to miss Bruiser and so started the search of every nook and cranny in her house to find him. But it was no use, he was gone. She looked at the food bowl and saw the blood on the mat and thought maybe he was hurt more than what appeared to her to only be a spat between the two animals. She asked her husband to go look for him and try his best to find him.

She called me and told me what had happened and I tried to calm her and tell her that sometimes when animals get hurt, they tend to retreat from others until they heal and feel better. I told her that it was instinct to do so and I tried to reassure her that Bruiser was alright and that when he was feeling better, he would join them once again and all would be well. I explained to her that animals feel an instinctual need to run away from others when they are hurt. They feel as if they need to find a safe place and recover alone. I told her that one reason is that if they are hurt, instinct tells them that if they are alone, they are less likely to be sitting ducks to other predators who want to harm them as well. When they are by themselves, they can rest without having to worry about anything or anyone else hurting them. Another reason they go off alone is that nature has set it inside them to get away from the pack so as not to infect the other animals with whatever may be wrong with them, such as a disease.

We hung up within a few minutes and after I had sensed that she was calmed down enough to think straight. I went about my business and about a couple of hours later she called me back and said that her husband had seen Bruiser coming out from under their house looking good and apparently feeling better. She checked him thoroughly and noticed that he had a small scratch on his nose and under his eye where Puppy had caught him with his nail or tooth. She put some antibiotic ointment on it and within a few days, he was back to normal again.

I recalled this story this evening because of something similar that happened with me.

A couple of days ago I was going about my day working and just being me when suddenly I was hurt by someone. I honestly don't believe this person meant to hurt me, but she was in a sticky situation with a ton of things going on in her life and so was I and our worlds happened to collide at the exact wrong moment. She was stressed, I was stressed and the enemy saw an opportunity for a knock-down, drag-out just like with the cat and the pup. I was trying to reach her for something but she was covered up in her own mess and didn't have time for what I needed to be done. I tried texting her and she was texting me back, but somehow, someway, our messages were being sent and being received out of order on our phones, causing her to become extremely frustrated at me. She was sending them, but I live in the sticks and can't always get a cell signal to receive them, so that set up a recipe for disaster.

I realized later that our enemy, Satan was standing right there ready to jump in the middle and stir that pot, as they say. John 10:10 tells us that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, and that's what that rotten thing was getting ready to do.

I finally was able to receive a message or two, and in that, I could feel her irritation toward me, which hurt me. I became sad and began to cry because I could feel her tone in the written words on my phone screen as though she was speaking them to me out loud.

So instinct kicked in and I retreated to be totally alone. I closed out Facebook and put away my phone. I seem to have the same natural feelings as animals when they are hurt, I go off on my own. I felt the need to just get away, from her, from friends on Facebook, from everyone. When we are hurt, we feel vulnerable to others just like the animals and maybe that's what causes us to retreat. Also, when I'm hurting, my temper sometimes flares up and I know that if I don't get away from others, I might infect them with what I have, just like with the animals.

I knew what it was though. I knew it was an attack from the devil, so I closed my laptop and began to pray for our friendship. I knew that if one of us didn't reach Heaven on behalf of our relationship, then it's hard to tell what might have become of it. You see, the enemy will slip in anywhere he can and wreak havoc for as long as he can until there is nothing left of friendships, families or any other kind so relationship you have.

I remembered the verse in 1 Peter 5:8-9, where we are told to "be alert and sober minded because our enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour". And I knew the scripture in James 4:7 that tells me to, submit myself to God and resist the devil, and he will flee from me.

So I did that. I got on my knees and prayed to God to help us. I pleaded the blood of Jesus over our friendship and working relationship until I felt the enemy had left. I put my faith and trust in God to work it all out for us and I went back to my writing. Before I prayed, I sent her one last message telling her what I thought was taking place and I quoted the verse in 2 Corinthians 2:11 that tells us that "we are not ignorant of Satan's devices, lest he should get an advantage of us".

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of Satan wreaking havoc in my life. So I did what the word of God tells me to do. I submitted myself to Him through His word and prayer and I could feel things change.

A similar situation happened last week after I received a not so nice message from someone. I began to cry when it popped up and at first was a little thrown off guard. My friend happened to call at the same time I got the message and I was so addled that I explained to her that I couldn't talk and had to go so I could read my scriptures and pray. I told her that I would call her back AFTER I was back to my normal self. So I read the Bible and prayed and a little while later, I called her and explained what happened.

It's our instinct to run away and hide when we are hurting. Just like with the animals, we want to just get away from everyone and everything. And it's okay to do that with people. In fact, it's probably best to get away from them for a while to diffuse the situation and allow things to cool off. But we must run TO God when we are hurting. Psalm 34:18 tells us, "the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit".

WOW!!

I can attest to that scripture being the truth. God is ALWAYS there when I'm hurting. He's there at all times, but I've found Him to be so faithful to me when I'm broken-hearted. There has never been a time when I've run to him like a hurting child calling out His name to help me, that He has not helped me. He picks me up and comforts me. He dries my tears and makes everything better. He loves me when it seems no one else does. I can hardly type this without tears flowing because I can feel His love for me at this very moment. I will tell you one more thing that I'm sure I've shared before, but it's worth mentioning again. When my mother died, a friend from the church I was attending at the time, sent me two sheets of paper with fifty-two places in the Bible to go for help with grief. Along with it was a hand-written note telling me to look up each of those verses and read them for comfort. I had never really looked at the Word of God like that before, but I decided to give it a try.

I sat down with my Bible, the papers and a pen and I began to read them AND write them. For the next year and a half, when I thought my world was falling apart, and I wouldn't make it through another day, I got out those scriptures and read them over and over. They were the ONLY thing that got me beyond the point of wanting to die. I'd always heard there was something powerful in the Word of God. My old pastor used to preach it all of the time out of Hebrews 4:12, "For the Word of God is quick, powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword", but I never really understood the depth of it until I needed it for myself. Until I found the Word of God to be ALL I needed and ALL that would help me in my time of heartache.

So now, like then, I apply the scriptures to any situation that I'm dealing with and it changes everything.

If you are facing hurts, challenges or you can see the enemy working in any area of your life, trying his best to tear down what God has given you, then get out your Bible and read it aloud. You might not be a Christian or even thinking of serving God, but I can tell you that there's something in His word that you can feel and soon you'll see that it can do for you what it has done for me. God is there for all of us, not just the ones who have already come to repentance. He's there to help us all, those who know Him and those who don't. He's just waiting for you to come to Him. Instead of running away from it all, run TO God and see what difference it makes in your life today.

I know that my blogs are getting longer and longer, but there is a reason for it, lol. One that I can't share at this time, but a good reason.

I love you all and my prayer today is for you to accept the help and comfort that God's Holy Spirit brings can bring to you. I know there are hurting people reading this, I'm not the only one in the world with problems. But you can get some relief through Jesus.

I want to end with this verse because it so plainly sums up how God is using me. It's found in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. "Praise be to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

Oh!! My heart melts with that scripture. God has brought comfort to me, and in turn, I want to show you the way that you can get that same comfort. That's what that scripture means. You too, can have the same comfort in Him. Run to Him today.

Remember to work hard and Dream Big!!

Much love,

Christy