Tag Archives: Abuse

Faith, Write 31 Days Challenge 2021

31 Days of Bible Affirmations – Day 10 – I Am Wanted

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31 Days of Bible Affirmations - Day 10 - I am Wanted
31 Days of Bible Affirmations – Day 10 – I am Wanted

I Am Wanted

And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.
Mark 12:30

We have a longing at some point in our lives where we just want to be wanted. Not just needed, where we know we play an important part. But to be truly wanted, where we are desired for.

Growing up I felt anything but wanted. When I was wanted, it was all for the wrong reasons, as I mentioned in my previous post. The sexual abuse I suffered, along with the bullying I received, left me feeling unwanted, disliked and like an outcast.

I was brought up with a Christian background. However, even though I had a religious upbringing, I never really understood how much God loved me. In my eyes, I couldn’t really see how much God could love or want me due to what I had suffered. After all, I was damaged goods.

It’s taken me a long time to grasp that my past didn’t matter to God. He loved me no matter what. All God wants is me. He wants to have a relationship with me. He wants a relationship with all of us.

God wants to love us and be loved by us. This is why the first commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Because this is what He does with us.

Something to think about…

Why not have a go at personalising Mark 12:30 and re-write in your own words what you feel God is saying to you. You could also use my version and change to your own name.

Love me, Lynne, just like I love you. Love me with all your heart, your soul, your mind and every ounce of strength. I want you no matter what.

If you enjoyed reading my thoughts on today’s Bible affirmation then why not catch up on my other thoughts for previous days.

Faith, Write 31 Days Challenge 2021

31 Days of Bible Affirmations – Day 9 – I Am Cared For

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31 Days of Bible Affirmations - Day 9 - I am cared for
31 Days of Bible Affirmations – Day 9 – I Am Cared For

I Am Cared For

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7

When a friend says to you, “I care about you”, how does it make you feel? Warm and fuzzy inside? Do you feel safe? Does it make you feel at ease with what they say?

Not me.

I yearn for others to show care towards me, but when it happens something inside me makes me feel on edge. I have mixed feelings and am very suspicious about what their intentions are. Underneath all of this, I am fearful about their motives in wanting to care for me.

“My mind hardens, my spirit stiffens and I respond with a cold toughness and distrust—of them. Of myself.”

This is what one friend told me. And she is right. Why? This sense of distrust is a direct result of the abuse suffered. My friend shares…

“As a little girl, I interpreted a babysitter’s niceness as care, and it turned out to be a selfish means to get their needs met—taking my innocence and trading it for betrayal.”

What my friend writes is exactly my experience too. Maybe you have experienced something similar. Or maybe you have had a friend you thought cared about you but has betrayed you instead.

We do have someone we can turn to though who wholeheartedly loves and cares for us. What Peter is saying in this verse is that we are a matter of God’s concern. We are not alone. We don’t have to bottle up all our worries. God alone is concerned about our well-being. He wants us to be complete.

God knows when we are sad and He feels our pain. He actually cares for us and He showed this by sending His One and only Son to set us free from all that holds us back. We shouldn’t worry about how much we can burden God. He can take everything we have – all our worries and concerns, and everything we have ever faced in this life.

Something to think about…

Why not have a go at personalising 1 Peter 5:7 and re-write in your own words what you feel God is saying to you. You could also use my version and change to your own name.

Lynne, I care for you deeply. Give to me all your worries and concerns.

Something to listen to…

Cast all your Cares by Sarah Begaj

If you enjoyed reading my thoughts on today’s Bible affirmation then why not catch up on my other thoughts for previous days.

Faith, Write 31 Days Challenge 2021

31 Days Of Bible Affirmations – Day 6 – I Am Brave

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31 Days of Bible Affirmations - Day 6 - I Am Brave
31 Days of Bible Affirmations – Day 6 – I Am Brave
I Am Brave

‘When survivors dare to go first and tell their stories, they empower others to tell their stories, which then opens more doors for healing and justice.’

We Too, Mary DeMuth

Seeing the courage Mary DeMuth had taken to tell her story in her book “We Too”, it empowered me to start telling mine. In turn, I hope my story empowers others to tell their story too. 

The more people tell their stories, the more others will have to listen. When people listen, healing takes place. When people listen, hopefully justice follows too. 

The more people tell their stories, the more others will have to listen. When people listen, healing takes place. When people listen, hopefully justice follows too.  Click To Tweet

I look at my twins, at age 2, and I worry for their life and what they may face. I see my other daughters, at age 11 and 12, and remember the little girl I was. What I had experienced by the time I was their age takes my breath away. No child should succumb to someone else’s sexual pleasure. Ever.

For me to be able to tell my story like this requires me to be brave on a level I have not been before. It’s not easy when we release our stories into the wide open spaces. I need to remember to keep hold of the strength that can be provided by God. Only then can I be brave enough to share. 

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
Something to think about…

Why not have a go at personalising Isaiah 41:10 and re-write in your own words what you feel God is saying to you. You could also use my version and change to your own name.

Lynne, do not be afraid for I am by your side. I am your God and you do not need to be scared. I will provide you with the strength you need and I will be here to help you. Lynne, you will no longer feel invalidated because I am here to encourage you and lift you up. You are not alone. You are brave.

Something to listen to…

I find this clip very encouraging and uplifting. I hope you do too.

Faith, Write 31 Days Challenge 2021

31 Days of Bible Affirmations

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31 Days of Bible Affirmations
31 Days of Bible Affirmations

I have been working through a mentoring course this year, which is run by Jo Naughton. It is designed to find out what God’s purposes are for us, to grow in our gifts and to develop a character that would help us to carry out our calling. Each week we focus on a certain aspect to help towards this.

I can honestly say that this has helped me tremendously in being able to move forward in what I feel God is calling me to do. I have noticed a big change as I have been working through some hard topics. As a result, it is a change that has been a massive step forward in my faith and my healing.

Continue reading 31 Days of Bible Affirmations →
Faith, Five Minute Friday

City on a Hill

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City on a Hill

We live in a mixed up world where light and darkness exists at the same time. All around us we have both good and bad things going on. Picture the homeless man sitting on the sidewalk because he was evicted from his home. This coexists with a stranger offering him some food as he walks by him. The darkness alongside the light.

God wants to use us so much. He wants us to be a light so we will shine into the darkness of people’s lives. He wants us to be like a city on a hill for all to see. 

God wants to use us so much. He wants us to be a light so we will shine into the darkness of people’s lives. Click To Tweet
City on a Hill
But what happens if we feel we are not bright enough to shine because we have hidden dark areas in our own life?

For a while I use to think I was unfit to represent a light from God. I always thought I had to be perfect. After all, who wants to receive hope from someone who doesn’t have all their shit together? 

I use to look at other people in ministry and see how perfect and together they were. I thought I had to be like them in order to minister to other people. It felt like I came up short compared to everyone else. 

It’s taken me a while, but I have realised that I don’t need to be perfect to show others what the light can look like in the darkness. God isn’t calling us to have all our shit figured out before we can serve Him. The people in this world are not daft. They can see when Christianity looks fake and they won’t want any part of it. 

What the people of the world needs to see when they are in their deepest, darkest places are people who show courageous vulnerability. They need people who are honest with what they show in their lives. When the world sees this, they see the light of God within us. 

So, here I am, with the rough edges I have and the darkness I carry. I’m ready to be the city on a hill for all to see. 

Suggested listening 

City on a Hill by Nick & Becky Drake

This post was written for the Five Minute Friday Community. A number of writers gather for a weekly writing challenge around a single word prompt and write to our hearts content, but only for five minutes (or there abouts).

This weeks word prompt is ‘city’. Click here if you want to see what other people wrote. You can also have a go yourself. What do you think of when you hear the word ‘city ’?