We all believe that church is supposed to be a place of worship and encouragement. It is not a place where we anticipate that we will be wounded. We have expectations. Perhaps, we may need to consider that they are unrealistic. A church is like a family. Every member is not at the same level of maturity or development. Some are living through periods of challenge. Some are broken and need great healing. A few may be new to the faith and are bringing with them personal issues. Hurting people do in fact, hurt people. The result will be, that in the course of time, we may become wounded. People will always be people, and the church will always be a flawed community. It is a place where God may use us to pour the oil and wine, into a soul that is bleeding. It can be a place of correction, where we may be challenged to look at our behavior in the light of God’s word, and change. It is also a place where we may have to grow up spiritually, refuse to take offense and learn to forgive as we have been forgiven. Don’t quit the church because people have hurt you. Ask God what your role is, in any given situation. At the end of the day, we don’t go to church to worship people. We go to worship a Holy God, who is worthy of our praise and adoration. As we praise and worship Him, He just might use us to change the atmosphere around us.