Most, if not all, of church hurt comes from people trusting in, relying on, and valuing the approval of imperfect people.

You got hurt when you found out the pastor, who you looked up to, was cheating on his wife. Now you feel foolish. You got hurt when you realized some of the members, who are supposed to love unconditionally, judged you because you had an abortion. You got upset when the members seemed unappreciative of your efforts.

Once again, the church is made up of imperfect believers. They may not all get it right and some are downright mean. However, if we focus on establishing and developing a personal relationship with Jesus, church hurt will be a thing of the past.

We won’t be looking to the church for validation, love, and support because we’ll experience that through Jesus. We’ll have a better understanding of grace when we or others miss the mark. We won’t place our trust in pastors because our trust will be in God. We won’t be sad when church friends turn their backs on us because we have a friend in Jesus.

If you’ve experienced church hurt, examine your life. There’s possibly an area where you’ve trusted in people. Take that previous hurt to God and begin to establish, maintain, and develop your relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Psalm 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.