Overcoming Abuse
Once upon a time, in a land near, near by...
there was a beautiful little girl who suffered terribly from the many abuses inflicted upon her, and for a long time she thought she was...
ugly...shameful...helpless...hopeless...good for nothing...invisible...incapable...weak...the problem...the victim...deserving of all that was done to her...despicable...stupid
And...
she picked people, as she grew up, who echoed back to her what she thought of herself, and they heaped upon her...
disdain...disrespect...manipulations...criticisms...accusations...neglect...intimidation...beating words...beating fists...denigration...cruelty
Then one day...
out of despertaion, she cried out to God, who led her to himself and, in that process, led her to someone who cared and helped her to see in herself the truth that she had secretly hoped was within her all along...
worth...dignity...significance...courage...strength...competence...beauty through and through
And she realized...
that she had not picked all of those mean people intentionally
And she decided...
that not only did she not deserve to be treated badly, she further was not going to tolerate it any more
And so...
some of the mean people went away because she had changed, and they did not like that, and she left behind those who refused to treat her well
And then...
she was free, and after a while, she married a gentle man, and they made a family that was...
good...kind...loving...respectful...that resolved difficulties without beating words or beating fists...loyal...responsive...supportive...forgiving...peaceful...safe...nice
And...
she lived a long, long time, and loved much, and laughed often, and she had God in her heart, and she was very happy and content and grateful, especially when she went to Heaven, where she was so amazed to find...
the biggest pond she had ever seen, and a beautiful sign that had her name on it, atop a gentle knoll where she knelt, and extending as far as her eyes could behold were ripples...big ripples...little ripples...ripples everywhere...and each ripple was the impact she had made on a person and in a life
And then she knew...
that what the mean people intended for evil, God had used for good...that God saved her, preserved her, led her, and sometimes carried her so that with His love, and the love of people He sent into her life, she was able to receive and pass on His love and comfort and help to others...who helped others and others...and she knew that without her pain there would not have been all of the good which had resulted...and she thanked God.
And she was happy forevermore.
"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Rom 8:28, NLT)
