It is no great feat to hide one’s pain. For it will come a calling eventually and spill over into every branch of ministry and relationship. It is like a volcano that will erupt in an undesirable way should it be left unattended. Should grief in the heart be overlooked, you’ll misstep in a way that might leave lasting devastation.

There are all manner of pains: Loss, grief, trauma, shame, rejection, abuse, or abandonment. Perhaps a combination of the list or even all of the above.

Even betrayal pain can be an unseen best friend to a bride preparing herself for the coming Christ. For it will force a cutting away of a place and time you likely would have held onto for far too long. The grip of a loving man, or woman, may not see that love is sorely misplaced and exalted above Jesus, Himself. However, pain is still inflicted and it is not a good option to wade these waters alone. Grief can choose unwise paths when we do not even realize it and the enemy will have no pity on a saint who is down.

I have found most pained people use all manner of spiritual language to hide their heart pains. When asked, “How are you doing? The response is, “I am more than a conqueror.”

True it is but the reality is that your heart is broken. Jesus does not deal with cover-ups. He deals with honest hearts. He calls you to walk in the light and to let His love pour healing oil. Healing is a process and unique to each individual life.

If you continue to move forward without an honest look at inward pain, your discernment will be jaded. You’ll view people in ways that may not be entirely accurate. You’ll likely look to people to validate you rather than looking to Christ. Because your need is yet unmet and your heart has been wounded you will try to fill an emptiness with people or things rather than Jesus, Himself.

The other extreme may cause you to refuse God’s sent ones who were meant to bless your life but your fear of relationships wouldn’t let them into your heart. You may isolate yourself and feel it’s better to remain alone when Christ wanted you to have a God-designed and trustworthy fellowship.

Pain can cause us to misunderstand pure heart intents because we have become too skeptical anticipating the next wounding that may never happen.  It can put us in a prison of the mind.

Seeping pain may leave a trail of hurting hearts that mark your integrity in a soured way because your vision was sorrowed. You see, a lens of pain can cause us to see in error and a wounded dog tends to bite. Personally, some of my greatest regrets occurred when I didn’t recognize my own heart pain and I kept pressing on anyway.

A strong spiritual person does not deny reality, nor does God. He does not dismiss your pain and drag you by your hair to destiny. He does not command you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and keep going. No- He teaches, molds, and grows us through the pain process. He walks with us through the valley and is near the broken heart.

The bravest thing we can ever do is face our pain and let Christ have every ounce of it. Any facade or mirage of “happiness” will be pinpointed over and over again until you surrender it fully to Christ. He is out to expose your secret so that you may be healed and whole.

In the prayer closet will whisper the truth of the Word of God along with the truth of reality’s scars. It is, after all, the TRUTH that does set us free.

We do ourselves no favors in buying into a spiritual cover-up. We merely delay destiny.

I knew a woman once who I felt never really grieved the loss of her son. She just stayed busy. Each time I would try to pry open her heart need she responded with scripture. It seemed way too rehearsed, way too valiant, and way too covert.

And…it was.

In the end, she made decisions out of pain and it cost her very much.

Let us take every precious sorrow in our cupped hands to the heart of Christ. Find a safe place with others to process your pain and walk it fully out with Jesus no matter how long it takes.

Not one moment will be wasted by Him.