Your Encouraging 5 Minute Podcast
A weekly dose of encouragement to start your week off right! Join your favorite WPER hosts every week for uplifting thoughts to keep your eyes focused on Christ and His promises.
Your Encouraging 5 Minute Podcast
Healing Soul Wounds
The wounds left by people who claim to speak for God can be devastating. When Christians use hurtful words or judgment instead of love, it doesn't just create personal pain – it can distort your entire understanding of who Jesus truly is.
This episode tackles that raw, often unspoken experience head-on. We examine how Jesus himself actually treated people who were hurting, doubting, or living messy lives. Unlike many of his self-proclaimed followers today, Jesus consistently led with compassion rather than criticism. Whether it was the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, or even doubting Thomas, Jesus invited people closer instead of pushing them away.
We make a crucial distinction that can be healing for anyone carrying church hurt: Christians are human and often get it wrong, but that doesn't reflect who Christ truly is. Romans 8:38-39 reminds us that absolutely nothing – including the painful words or actions of imperfect believers – can separate us from God's perfect love. We also explore how forgiveness works as a pathway to freedom without requiring you to accept harmful behavior or remove necessary boundaries. Forgiveness isn't about minimizing hurt; it's about preventing that hurt from defining your spiritual journey moving forward.
Have you been wounded by someone speaking in Jesus' name? Don't bottle it up. Talk to him about it – he can handle your honest questions, doubts, and even anger. And remember, Jesus hasn't walked away from you, and he never will. Share this episode with someone else who might be silently carrying similar wounds and needs to be reminded of Christ's unfailing love.
Okay, great Glad you're here listening to your encouraging five-minute podcast over the next five minutes, just trying to inspire you, to lift your day, to encourage you in some way. That's what it's all about. I'm Eric. This is my friend Heather. If you, at the end of this five-minute podcast, need more encouragement, you can always listen to Virginia's Home for Encouragement, WPER. If you're outside that area, you can download the app. Just search WPER wherever you find apps.
Speaker 2:So today we're going to talk about something pretty raw, something many of us carry quietly. It's the wounds left by words, and especially when those words come from people who call themselves Christians, and maybe you've been judged unfairly.
Speaker 1:Maybe someone in the church said something that cut you deep. Maybe the ones who were supposed to love like Jesus did not and instead left you feeling like you didn't even belong or worse, maybe feeling like Jesus didn't love you either.
Speaker 2:Okay. So if that's you, we just want to say we're sorry, we see you, but, more importantly, jesus sees you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's something really powerful about the way Jesus treated people, especially people who were hurting. Jesus never leads with criticism, he leads with compassion. The woman at the well he didn't shame her, he saw her. The woman caught in adultery. He didn't throw stones at her, he offered her grace. And then Thomas, who we call the doubting disciple. Jesus didn't criticize him. He invited Thomas to come closer, to touch his wounds, to see for himself.
Speaker 2:You know, there's something really important to remember Christians are human. Christians get it wrong, sometimes pretty badly. But you me, Eric, none of us can let that brokenness, that other people distort our view of who Christ really is.
Speaker 1:In the Bible, in Romans, chapter 8, verses 38 and 39, Paul writes for I'm convinced that neither death nor life, neither the present nor the future, nor anything else in all creation would be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so if you've been hurt by someone trying to speak for Jesus, do not bottle that up. Talk to him about it. Jesus is not intimidated by your pain. He's not intimidated by your anger, because he wants to heal that.
Speaker 1:And if you've walked away from church because of that pain, we just want to encourage you to not give up on Jesus, especially because of people. Let Jesus show you who he really is Tender, kind, faithful, loving, full of mercy.
Speaker 2:I think it's also important to point out here that forgiveness does not mean acceptance, because you can forgive somebody for hurting you and create boundaries so they can't hurt you again. You can forgive someone just as Christ has forgiven all of us and still not give them the chance to be in a place where they are able to hurt you again.
Speaker 1:Forgiveness actually frees us from bitterness and anger towards someone who hurt us, so that we can move forward free from that negativity.
Speaker 2:Forgiving someone who's hurt you, especially as it relates to someone else's interpretation of Christianity, can free you up to build a real relationship with Jesus. Talk to Jesus. Talk to him Even if it's messy, even if you're angry, he can handle it. Ask him to start healing your heart and show you his truth.
Speaker 1:If you need to find out more about who Jesus really is, and not just who someone says he is. You can find out in his own words who he is and how he feels about you. You can actually go to wperorg, tap resources. That'll give you a dropdown where you'll see knowing Jesus. Don't let the wounds caused by imperfect people rob you of the perfect love of Christ. He hasn't walked away from you and he never, ever will.
Speaker 2:Nope, and not even if you're the one who has hurt someone with your words. There's grace for you too, because, believe me, we have all needed forgiveness. We're human and we will all need forgiveness again. But that's the great part Through the forgiveness of Jesus, we all get the chance to grow in the grace of Christ.
Speaker 1:Hey, thank you for letting us share these moments with you. If this spoke to something deep in your soul, you're not alone. Share this with someone else who might need the reminder that Jesus is bigger than our pain and closer than we think.
Speaker 2:So much closer. Thank you so much for letting us hang out with you these past few minutes. If you have at all been encouraged, like Eric said, share this podcast with somebody. But if you want a little more encouragement, head on over to WPERorg to download the WPER app or if you're in Virginia, you can always listen to WPER Virginia's home for encouragement.
