Healing of the Heart

Written by Hillary

The power of God is huge. Throughout the New Testament we see how Jesus has the ability to completely heal the crippled, the diseased, and the hopeless sinners. This past girls Red Hawk, I saw how Jesus can miraculously heal the brokenhearted. Last year I got to know a lot of the high school girls that come to Cross Bar X, and many of them shared their story with me. These girls’ stories are not easy to hear—they are full of brokenness and hurt. Their stories are a testimony to how dark and unfair this world is, but many of them are also a testimony to how powerful and active the Spirit of God is when we cast our burdens onto Him.

Last year I met a camper who was so crippled by her anger, she barely spoke to anyone. This young lady was very reserved; it was difficult for anyone to form a relationship with her because her intimidating character was hard to approach. She seemed untouchable. Yet this did not stop the counselors from talking to her and praying with and for her. Throughout the year, she continued to keep in touch with many of us.

I was blown away by how much this girl had changed in just a year.  Unlike last summer, she became friends with nearly every girl at camp. She was talkative, and laughed often. She was a major leader in her cabin. When I asked her why she was so different than the girl I remembered from last year, she told me that it was because God has helped her to forgive her father for the permanent hurt he caused she and her family. Later she asked me to help her find scripture to help her learn to forgive.

This girl’s drastic change in character is a major example to me of how Jesus is still mending and healing lives, just like He did while He was walking on earth. What anyone would consider to be a permanent crippling on a girl’s heart has been lifted and restored. Although she will always be working towards forgiving her earthly father, God is showing her that her new identity is found in her perfect, Holy and Heavenly Father—a Father who is full of grace, and fully capable of giving her His Spirit of grace and forgiveness.

As I and the other counselors continue to talk to this young girl, we realize that she still goes in and out of suffering, and succumbing to the pain her father has caused. Pray that God will continue to pull her out of that pit of self-doubt and self-pity. When I think of what God can do through this young lady, I get so excited. God can do so much through her and her story. Pray that she continues to give God all of her heart and all of her life.