Healing from Abuse as a Christian

When my children were small I started to really delve into healing from the abuse of my childhood. A great piece of advice I once heard regarding healing from abuse was from a Christian was to go back and raise myself as I was raising my own children. Be the parent I would have liked to have had raise me. What would I have liked? The best way to show me love is to spend time with me. I made a conscious decision to spend time with my sons, playing with them, swinging with them, doing things they loved to do. I really got into their world. I knew I was really free when I ran into the swing and flew like an airplane at the playground just like they would do.

I don’t remember being read to as a child and really hated to read because it was so hard, a real chore. I decided to spend a lot of time reading to my kids and it was while reading to them that I realized I was learning to read better and started to enjoy it more. God really used that in healing me from the abuse and neglect of my childhood.

Healing from abuse for Christians also comes as we choose to walk in obedience to the truth. The lies of my mother, the ridicules from the past, the guilt trips…these are not from God. I have been learning to recognize them for what they are and to ask God to reveal what the truth really is. The truth is, I don’t need to feel guilty for not doing something mother expected me to do. The truth is, I can make my own decisions and be confident in them. I am capable, responsible and talented. Oh, that was tough to write considering I grew up hearing I was a dirty rotten kid who would never amount to anything. Thank you, God.