It’s my prayer that you are reading this and you’re
feeling well today. If not, take comfort in this post. If you’re like me,
you’ve gone through something traumatic in your life (and probably still are)
where you feel that your life was sifted from you and/or has caused you to put
your life on hold. As a result, you are either living in fear or indecision.
You can overcome by praising God for the fact that you're still alive, and you
are here with a God-given purpose. What was supposed to sift you out or caused
you to put your life on hold didn't kill you, so that means God has His hands
on you even though you wonder why you had to go through. Feel free to ask Him
why, He loves you. There are probably a lot more questions going through your
mind, and it’s totally understandable. I dedicate this blog post to anyone who
has gone through a traumatic past and is still trying to get through it (or has
gotten through it).
I want to extend my hand to you in friendship and in love. I
understand that you might have felt alone at times wanting to give up in life.
That was my life (and I’ll put this out and say I struggle with it too). Your
past may not be my past, but mine was traumatic and I’m sure yours was too.
That’s one thing we have in common. Just know that we’re on this road to
recovery together and He has His hands on you.
I know there are going to be some people who read this and
ridicule me; I’m cool with that (considering I’m used to it). The one thing
remains though, I’m still alive and so are you. They tried to kill us, but
we’re still here. We have scars, but we’re still here. I hope you were able to
at least smile or cry tears of joy. Believe me when I say, it’s OK to cry.
Sometimes you have to on this road to recovery.
I know there are times when we’ve tried to pull ourselves up
by our own bootstraps, know that we can’t do this alone. We need each other on
a horizontal level (and say I need help), and we need to say to God that we
need help. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help, discern who to ask for
help (because not everybody will have your best interest at heart). The unique
thing about us considering we’ve survived what we did, is that we have sympathy
for others (which is lacking in this world today). Everyone today is so selfish
and out for themselves. And to add insult to injury, there are those who
haven’t gone through what you did, and they tell you either to “get over it,”
or “so what if I didn’t go through what you did; you need to grow up.” As a
result, you end up feeling like a second-class citizen. I understand there are
those who have good intentions, but they will never understand what you feel if
they haven’t lived through what you had to.
A word of encouragement: if you make it out before me, help
me out; and I’ll do the same vice versa. We’re in this together.
I don’t know who has heard this, but I’m sure an evil spirit
will tell you that Jesus was raped (which He was), but He didn’t say a word, so
that means you shouldn’t say a word now that you made it out (or you should’ve
allowed it to continue without saying a word). This is totally misinterpreting
the Scripture. Your voice needs to be heard. If more voices are raised, we can
truly change the world to wrong the rights. If we abused victims are
accountable, the abusers, the people who neglected us need to be accountable.
There must be a balance, wouldn’t you agree? For many of you, your stories have
touched me deeply and I want to say right here and right now that I love you
and that I will always have your back. If you need an ear (in most cases, many
of us know the answers to some of the questions in our mind and just need to
get what’s in our heart and spirit out), just let me know and I’ll listen.
One lingering question you might have, why did I go through
what I did? Well, we may not know the answer right now. But I am willing to
believe that you’re still alive to either share your testimony to someone who’s
about to go through what you did (or is trying to find a way out of their
pain), or you are to write a book, and the list goes on. I don’t know who that
is for along with this. You may have a ministry to teenagers, or a ministry
geared to men (if you’re a man) or women (if you’re a woman). And the fact
you’re still here to share your story is proof that He has His hands on you. I
hope right now you can raise your hands towards heaven and say thank you Jesus
for allowing me to stand here today.
I know what you went through has caused you to either live
in fear or wanting to not pursue your childhood dreams. You might even feel
that your life is on hold. I understand totally. Because you’re still here and
on the road to recovery, take a moment to find out what is your greatest
passion in life and what is your greatest talent (meaning: you know deep down
inside you’re good at it? Once you find that out, pursue it and God will bless
you (because His hand is on you). Acknowledge Him as you’re on that path. I also know that your healing isn’t an
overnight thing, it’s a process. God understands and will heal you in due time.
Meanwhile, pursue your unique calling from Him, because the world needs your
gift (and it’s not your body, OK). Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
In closing: shake off your fears and don’t be afraid to
live. It’s my prayer that this post encourages you. Feel free to comment (if
you want to remain anonymous, please do so). Your destiny from God is waiting
for you. Don’t worry about failing. You will fall down, just get up and know
that His hand is on you.