Abuse, even
a one-time moment of rage that used abuse as punishment or an attempt to
control the victim, robs us of our innocence and makes us feel powerless over
our own life.
It drives us
into a codependent role - attempting to please others to keep them from abusing
us. The problem with this faulty thinking is that it often has the opposite effect.
People tend
to continue to abuse our good nature, take us for granted and treat us with
contempt. A lack of appreciation and more verbal, mental and physical abuse may
follow.
We strive
throughout our life to lay down our life in hopes that someone will love us;
but we actually teach them that it is okay to take advantage of us, because we
constantly put our needs last.
Trauma does
not always make us stronger. It may also make us a ball of nerves, fear and
insecurity. We are actually weaker, because we are always on the defensive.
We may
develop PTSD, much like any survivor of a battle zone, and react to life with
this fractured thinking and behavior. Medication may be necessary to help us to
remain calm and lucid until God heals us ( www.theophostic.com ).
Journaling helps
us to heal by allowing our Inner Parent to understand the deep wounds we
experienced and to nurture our Inner Child as we turn our words into a prayer
for God's healing.
Prayer:
Father God,
I pray for victims of abuse of every type. Give them the deep comfort that can
only come from Your love. Restore to them their joy in life and remove from
them the fears and insecurities, which plague their life. Redeem their heart
and mind and give them a new outlook on life.
Teach them
that although people may not be trustworthy, You are always trustworthy. Help
us to remain vulnerable and kind, yet wary and wise (Matthew 10:16). Show us the balance
between serving others without teaching them to take us for granted by always
putting our needs last.
Thought for
the Day:
God's
perfect goodness and love find expression in the midst of wickedness and
degradation; because He experiences every slight right along with us and
carries our pain and burden for us, if we will relinquish it to Him.
