In the 1990s, pop singer Tina Turner sang a song titled, What’s Love Got to Do with It?
She then wondered why in the world anyone would want a heart when it can be broken. Why indeed.
The Bible tells us God is love, and his love endures forever.
It says God’s love for us is so great, he lavishes it upon us. The Bible commands us to love as we have been loved.
Easy to say, harder to do. Especially when we have been wronged or hurt in some way.
My experience when dealing with the pain and hurt others inflict has been to hold onto the pain. Internalize it. Turn it over and over in my mind until it pulls the scab off the wound and inflicts pain all over again.
Definitely not the best way to deal with such things.
The Bible also tells us love covers all wrongs. And, of course, that’s true.
A problem I see is when we refuse to allow love to cover all wrongs.
We might let it cover some wrongs, but then hold onto those hurts we feel don’t deserve to be covered with love’s forgiveness.
Could it be we honestly don’t want them covered with love?
With that said, I’d like to share a devotion I recently read in Streams in the Desert.
At midnight I found myself completely unable to sleep. Waves of cruel injustice were sweeping over me, and the covering of love seemed to have been unknowingly removed from my heart. In great agony I cried to God for the power to obey his admonition, ‘Love covers over all wrongs.’
From here the writer explains God’s Spirit began to work the power into her that ultimately brought about forgetfulness.
She mentally dug a grave until the hole was very deep. She lowered the offense that wounded her into the grave. Quickly, she shoveled the soil over it. Then she covered the hole with green sod, planted beautiful white roses and forget-me-nots on top, and briskly walked away.
The wound that seemed so deadly was healed without a scar. God’s love covered the hurt. The pain. The wound. Completely.
So here’s what I receive from this devotion. What we all can receive.
When we cry out for God’s love to help us cover all wrongs, his Spirit will work in us if we let him. He will bring us peace.
When we insist on carrying wounds and refuse his loving help, peace eludes us.
It’s easier to truly forgive when we rely on God’s help.
We might think we’ve forgiven, but quickly realize otherwise when the great deceiver, Satan, dredges up our past hurts.
I love the writer’s description of digging a grave – a very deep grave – to throw our wound into.
The offended did not stand over the open grave, rehearsing the hurt. She QUICKLY shoveled dirt over the offense.
Then she planted something beautiful over the grave. She thought on what is lovely, noble, true, honorable, and of good report. She thought about the things of God.
With that done, she BRISKLY walked away. She didn’t loiter or spend time wondering if forgiving was the right thing to do. She didn’t jab her shovel back into the ground and exhume the hurt. Nope. She walked away.
As she left the wound in the grave, God’s love covered the hurt, and she was completely healed.
What’s love got to do with it? Everything.
I wish you well.
