Forgiveness
What does it mean to forgive, to really forgive?
Many of us have suffered through a variety of abuses that have scarred our minds, hearts, and spirits. I have heard some say that incest is worse than verbal abuse, and I once thought physical abuse was worse than incest. The truth is: abuse is abuse! It doesn’t matter if the abuse is from withholding emotions, abandonment, verbal, physical, sexual, or a combination of all the above; it’s all a form of abuse. The overall effect is that it humiliates us, leaves us feeling worthless, and weakens our spirit. While there are a fortunate few who seem to have a gift of being able to bounce back quickly from it, even they are forever changed from these events, especially if the events were repeated and reinforced.
Many of us spend a large part of our lives holding on to the shame and guilt that inevitably comes from such experiences. The problem with holding on to these negative emotions is that we invite more negative experiences into our lives: the cycle continues. These negative emotions become so deeply rooted, and we can’t see how we contribute to creating more adversity in our lives. However, I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “We get back what we give out” (Galatians 6:7). Therefore, if your thoughts and emotions are negative, you attract negative experiences. Simply by guarding and protecting yourself from further harm, you are actually inviting more hurt into your life. (Counter intuitive, I know. But God doesn’t work in the realm of reason; if He did, you wouldn’t recognize His Hand at work in your life.)
The only way to stop the cycle of abuse is
To read more on Forgiveness
What does it mean to forgive, to really forgive?
Many of us have suffered through a variety of abuses that have scarred our minds, hearts, and spirits. I have heard some say that incest is worse than verbal abuse, and I once thought physical abuse was worse than incest. The truth is: abuse is abuse! It doesn’t matter if the abuse is from withholding emotions, abandonment, verbal, physical, sexual, or a combination of all the above; it’s all a form of abuse. The overall effect is that it humiliates us, leaves us feeling worthless, and weakens our spirit. While there are a fortunate few who seem to have a gift of being able to bounce back quickly from it, even they are forever changed from these events, especially if the events were repeated and reinforced.
Many of us spend a large part of our lives holding on to the shame and guilt that inevitably comes from such experiences. The problem with holding on to these negative emotions is that we invite more negative experiences into our lives: the cycle continues. These negative emotions become so deeply rooted, and we can’t see how we contribute to creating more adversity in our lives. However, I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “We get back what we give out” (Galatians 6:7). Therefore, if your thoughts and emotions are negative, you attract negative experiences. Simply by guarding and protecting yourself from further harm, you are actually inviting more hurt into your life. (Counter intuitive, I know. But God doesn’t work in the realm of reason; if He did, you wouldn’t recognize His Hand at work in your life.)
The only way to stop the cycle of abuse is
To read more on Forgiveness
