Playing When You’re Hurt

Athletes often play when they are hurt.  Mentoring expert Fred Smith recounts how a successful businessman once expanded on that thought, “Amateurs can produce when they feel like it.  Pros can produce when they don’t feel like it.”  Dings, scrapes, and bruises are part of sports.  Great players learn to excel despite them.  Who can forget Kerri Strug in the ’96 Summer Olympics? With two torn ligaments in her left ankle and the gold medal on the line, she bravely produced a vault that brought Americans to tears and secured a gold medal for the US women’s gymnastics team.

Similarly, we live in an imperfect world where we invariably experience pain and encounter hurt.  Try as we might to avoid the wounds, we often find ourselves aching.     A bruised ego.  A torn relationship.  A broken promise.  A painful divorce. A job      failure.  Yet we must also learn to “play hurt.”

Jesus understood living in an imperfect world–coping with pain and overcoming hurt.  He didn’t say to His disciples, “In this world you might have trouble,” or “In this words some people have trouble.”  No, He assured them, “In this world you will have trouble.”

Before long, Jesus would no longer be with His followers physically.  He wanted them to know that while not seeing Him would cause pain, the hurt would be short-lived. In time they would see Him again, feel His presence, and experience His power.

When we are hurting, what does it take for us to reenter the game?  As in sports, playing hurt means recognizing that some of our aches and pains are minor – nothing more than the day-to-day bruises that come from living.  Brush aside those twinges as quickly as they arise.  At other times, our hurts are far more serious, requiring something more.  A forgiving heart.  A patient attitude.  A humble spirit.  Most importantly, when we trot back onto the field of life—banged up and bruised—we need to remember that the  powerful presence of Jesus accompanies us, prevailing over any pain we might feel.

Prayer:

 Dear Heavenly Father, Help us to understand that You are always with us.  You will stand by us and lift us up not matter our hurt pain.  Be with us as we work through it and live the life You have planned for us.  Amen.

Contributed by Bryan Charlton