A hostile world! I call to God, I cry to God to help me. ~ Psalm 18:6, The Message ♥*
Not every child is shown proper love; the ripple-effects of mistreatment in childhood are far-reaching and stubborn. Abuse is cyclical. Jesus Christ glues broken people back together, but while we remain stuck on earth, sharp edges poke through. No one behaves perfectly all of the time, not even believers who have followed Christ for decades; for some, though, the battle is up a steeper hill. If you have close associations with a person from this group—your boss, your best friend, your husband—you live out biblical principles that others only ponder theoretically. You can't gloss over Peter's instruction for wives to submit to husbands even as slaves to masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh, (1 Peter 2:18). As a concept, turning the other cheek has special meaning to you. While your office mate complains about the dip in her 401K and a recent trip to the dentist, you hold back tears because someone you love is blind to his own "anger management issues."
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The topic of abuse and how to handle it is bigger than any blog post. If you need help, see a Christian counselor, and read Boundaries. Yes, Jesus tells us not to resist an evil person (Matthew 5:39), but he did not put you on this earth to be anyone's verbal punching bag. True biblical love does not enable abuse or any other sin. God is your protector, and part of his protection includes wise counsel. Get help. Sharp edges really can be softened, over time.
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If you have no idea what this post is about, thank God! And then, show an extra measure of grace to the people you encounter today. Heaven only knows what went on before they walked out the door.
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Tragically true. Good advice
ReplyDeleteWonderful post Cathy..
ReplyDeleteThank you for this message. I really needed it today :)
~ Navjot
Amen
ReplyDeleteThis topic always breaks my heart and brings back bad memories from my own childhood. Thanks for that Catherine for I am thankful that through Jesus, we have all found a positive role model and faithful guide! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteI had a time when i cried out to God (i guess like a brute girl-beast)... "How can you let this abuse happen? She's a young, sweet, innocent girl who really desires to follow you? What good can come out of this, Lord?"... Yet in Christ, suffering is redemptive. That has always been a source of comfort to me.
ReplyDeleteAbuse is a heavy topic and I'm glad you are brave enough to discuss it, C. Love ya, my friend!
2 Cor 1:3-7
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort."