Past Hurts Can Weigh You Down

Are past hurts weighing you down and keeping you from helping others?

A fisherman noticed some splashing in the river as he stood near the shore in his waders. Thinking it might be a large fish, he watched his line intently. Moments later, a child’s head popped up in the fast-moving current, then quickly submerged.

The angler threw his fishing pole down and plunged into the water toward the drowning child without hesitation. But despite swimming with all his might, he was unexpectedly pulled toward the bottom from his waders filling with water.

Unwilling to let himself or the child drown, he swiftly unbuckled his wader straps, shot up to the surface for air, then dove underwater to look for the endangered girl. Moments later, he found her, hauled her to shore, and performed CPR.

Both the fisherman and little girl survived.

Much like this angler had to release himself from his water-logged waders before helping the drowning child, we must let go of past hurts to effectively serve those who need our help.

Has pain from your past weighed you down and kept you from ministering to others? Do you need encouragement or prayer to re-engage? Let me know in the comments.