When Love Hurts — And Still Heals

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Posted by Glenn Riley

Written by Ian Taylor

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We don’t talk enough about how much love can hurt.

The kind of pain that doesn’t come from hate or betrayal — but from deep care. From loving someone who’s distant. From giving your all and wondering if it was enough. From holding space for someone in your heart, even when they no longer walk beside you.

Yes, love heals — but first, it wounds.

And the Bible doesn’t shy away from this truth.

💔 Jesus Wept

When Jesus saw Mary weeping for Lazarus, He didn’t preach. He didn’t lecture.
He wept (John 11:35).

Even though He knew resurrection was coming, He entered into the pain of love — showing us that real love allows itself to feel. To mourn. To break.
Love without pain is love without depth.

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💔 David and Jonathan

David loved Jonathan “as his own soul” (1 Samuel 18:1). And when Jonathan died, David’s grief was raw:

“I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;
you were very dear to me.” (2 Samuel 1:26)

That wasn’t easy love. That was costly, heart-carving love. The kind that stays with you.

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💔 God’s Love for Us

God’s entire relationship with humanity is marked by love that hurts. The people He rescued turned away. The ones He blessed forgot Him. The ones He gave everything to — gave Him the cross.

But still… He loved.
Still… He gave.
Still… He forgave.

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

That’s love — not the pretty kind, but the powerful kind.
Love that bleeds. Love that sacrifices. Love that keeps the door open, even when the room is empty.

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If you’re reading this and feeling the ache of love — maybe from a breakup, from loss, from distance, or from loving someone who doesn’t seem to love you back — know this:

You’re not weak.
You’re not foolish.
You’re human.

And you’re following in the footsteps of the greatest Lover the world has ever known.

Sometimes love hurts because it’s real.
But it also shapes us, grows us, and softens parts of us that nothing else can.

Hold on.
Let it hurt — but don’t let it harden you.
Because even in pain, love is doing something sacred inside you.

And God sees every tear.

With grace,
Ian

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