Overcoming Church Hurt

I have heard the term "church hurt" on several occasions, but I always brushed it off as people in the congregation who could not get over personal conflicts or preferences.  And that may be some of it for sure and that pain and hurt is just as real.  But what about other forms of church hurt?  What happens when the leaders and pastors of the church who are to imitate the Good Shepherd start imitating more like the Religious leaders of Jesus's time and THEY are the ones doing the hurting?  Bad leaders have always been around and can be found all throughout Scripture so it should come as no shock when we find modern day leaders and pastors who are capable of just as much hate, pride, and deceitfulness as 2000 years ago. But is still hurts! It is even worse when they KNOW what they have done, know they are disqualified from the pulpit, know they have ruined lives, but still believe their "good" outweighs their "bad." There is the kind of "church hurt" that causes so much pain and hurt that it requires a little more than just a simple brushing it under the rug and a toleration of the offenses.  What then?  From my own personal experience with spiritual abuse, I can tell you it is not something that just heals merely with time.  It is not something that just heals by keeping yourself busy.  It is not something that just heals by surrounding yourself with people.  The only true healing is the healing that comes from the ONLY Good Shepherd.  It is by meditating on the life of Jesus.   He often reminded His disciples, to be a follower is to follow in His footsteps - this would include a life of pain and suffering.  But, Praise God, this life of pain and suffering means our Great High Priest is right there ready to extend His  comfort and counsel. Jesus reminded them that HIS comfort was and is for the least of these, the socially isolated and marginalized, and the lowly and weak.   He is near to the broken hearted!!  Jesus says we are more blessed when we are poor in spirit than when we are full of the riches of this world. True healing happens when we are not so quick to escape this place of pain and suffering, but when we are willing to dwell here knowing our Savior's presence and power is here with us. True healing happens when we stay just a little longer in the shelter of His wings.  True healing happens when we remember this world has its fair share of bad leaders, but Jesus is not one of them.