"Refuse to let your past keep you from the future God has planned for you. Today, forgive those that have hurt you and forgive yourself so that you can walk in victory." ~ Joel Osteen
This is The Absolute Best Advice that I could Ever Share with Anyone ! However, I Can't nor Will I Ever Promise that Forgiveness will Always be Easy. For some, forgiving others is second nature, but for others it can be a lot of hard work. When I say for others, I mean Me, Myself, & I.
As you may already know, I was sexually abused by my earthly father from the time I was an infant until I was at least 14 years old. Think about how Fourteen Years is a Very Long Time, esp. when it's Someone's One & Only Childhood. However, I'm not saying my childhood was all bad. In fact, I always had food to eat, nice clothes to wear, new shoes, and school supplies. I was able to take ballet, tap, & piano lessons, and I have no idea what my Mom sacrificed to ensure that we always had plenty of Birthday and Christmas Presents. She kept our home neat & clean, & I was taken to church every Sunday. In fact, Everything Looked "Normal" to the outside world, but there's Nothing "Normal" about Family Secrets. While my father was able to hold down a good job for many years, he was rarely stable in other areas of his life, so we always lived in fear of what he might do next.
After Living with such an abusive man for so many years, I eventually grew to hate him. Yes, I admit that I actually hated my dad for what he did to me and my family. I also hated my mom for not leaving him and giving him access to hurt us. We were each hurt in many different ways, and I used my Experiences as an Excuse to Let My Anger become Rage. I also Allowed My Bitterness and Resentment to Help Me Build Many Walls Around My Ever Increasing Cold Heart. Whether you may have abused verbally, physically, or sexually, Please Don't Refuse to Forgive the One who Hurt You ! I Wasted Nearly 20 years of My Adult Life, because I Refused to Forgive My Parents. The Only Thing I really Accomplished with My Unforgiveness was Opening the Door for Satan to Steal those Precious Years from Me. I Held on So Tight to All of those Toxic Feelings, because I didn't understand that Forgiveness Would Bring Me Freedom and Healing. I Found Out the Hard Way that Forgiveness Really is for the One doing the Forgiving !
The GOOD NEWS is that I am Finally on the Right Track, because I Finally Surrendered Myself to the Lord and Forgave My Parents. Believe Me, the Blame Game is a Total & Complete Waste of Time ! I'm Finally Making Better Choices Concerning All Aspects of My Life, and I Give God the Glory. I Honestly Could Not Have Accomplished Anything without a Personal Relationship with JESUS and Reading My Bible. HE is the Only One Who Could Heal My Broken Heart, and I Thank God that I am Getting Closer to HIM Each & Every Day. HE Gives Me the Strength I Need to Overcome, so I Can Walk in Victory !
I'm also Learning to Forgive Myself, so I Can Discover My God Given Destiny. Some people know what they will be when they grow up, but I'm still trying to figure out God's Plan for Me. In the meantime, I Fight those thoughts of failure or defeat whenever they try to creep into my mind, because I'm a Child of the Most High God ! Again, I can't Promise that it will Always Be Easy to Forgive Others, but I Promise that It Is So Worth All of Your Effort ! I just can't Encourage You Enough to Forgive Those that Hurt You, so that You Can Get on with Your Life, too !
As Joyce Meyer Always says, "I May Not Be Where I Want to Be, but THANK GOD I Am Not Where I Used to Be, Amen !"
Until We Meet Again,
God Bless! -Kristin Reins
