Fearful. Betrayed. Abandoned. Unloved. Unworthy. Unwanted.
These are a few words that defined Donna and cast shadows over her. Here’s Donna’s story…
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Fearful. Betrayed. Abandoned. Unloved. Unworthy. Unwanted.
These were shadows from a past that would haunt me for years. A past that would hold me hostage and keep me from fully living in the light of God’s love.
Fearful as I watched a hot plate of spaghetti thrown across the kitchen. Fearful as I watched furniture crash against walls. Fearful as my dad fell to the ground a few feet from my mom after he’d swung at her and lost his balance.
Betrayed after my intoxicated father sat me on the back of a horse without a saddle or reins to hold, and then swiped the horse’s rear end. Betrayed as he laughed with his friends while I went sailing through the air and landed on a barb wired fence.
Abandoned and unwanted when my dad filed divorce papers and when I discovered he failed to even get my name and birthday correct on them. Abandoned each time my dad refused to pay child support. Unwanted as years went by without visits, phone calls, hugs, birthday gifts.
Unloved and unworthy when my dad broke promise after promise… to visit, to call, to show up for my high school graduation, to pay for college.
Fearful, betrayed, abandoned, unloved, unworthy, and unwanted. Words and emotions that I let define me and cast shadows over me … until July 2011.
Through several of my Pastor’s sermons and through a friend’s father passing away, I sensed God asking: “How would you feel and what would you do if your Dad were to die this very day?”
I had no answer. I didn’t even know or really even think I liked my dad, much less loved him. Fifteen years had gone by since I’d seen him.
Around that same time, God challenged me with two words: ACCEPT and CHOICE
I had a choice and I made it. Following God’s nudging, on July 1, 2011 I went to see my father and accepted him for who he is.
In doing so, for the first time ever, I was able to ACCEPT my past. God made it perfectly clear to me that I could not change my dad nor my past. My only job was to pray for my Dad. I cannot tell you the burden that lifted from my entire being on July 1st.
God took my acceptance one step further. He told me I had a CHOICE!
A choice to believe that He is who He says He is. A choice to believe His promises; a choice to believe I was worth dying for; a choice to be filled with His joy; a choice to let Him be my Father, my Abba Daddy; a choice to live with a confident heart.
And it’s up to me to make those choices 24/7. Not just on Sunday. Not just at 9am when my day starts – but constantly make those choices. So I get up every morning and choose to believe that God is a Promise Keeper. I make the choice – to believe He loves me like no other can nor will, to pray for my Dad, to let go of the anger. I choose to live in the Light of Jesus so I can have a the freedom and security of a confident heart.
There are days, even minutes, that I don’t make the right choices. But the good thing is as I get better and better at making those choices my rebound time gets shorter and shorter. I get quicker at turning back to the Light.
I’m praying for you today – that together we can turn towards and live in the Light of God’s love. That He’ll give us courage to make the choices He’s asking us to make and accept what He’s calling us to accept so that we can keep turning and growing.
Lord, thank You for Your promises. I thank You that You have called me out of the darkness and into Your light. Thank You for transforming my heart into a heart like Yours. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Donna, sweet friend, thank you for boldly believing Jesus and walking in obedient trust of His calling on your life. Your story and your faith challenge and encourage me to listen for His voice and do the hard thing of believing Him when my feelings are demanding their way. I”m so grateful for the Light and the way you walk in Him!
Connecting in Community: What is God speaking to your heart as you read Donna’s story ? Or is there something in chapter 5 that resonated with a change, a choice or a place of acceptance God’s inviting you to? Let’s share here and/or some of the answers to our end of chapter questions this week. Whatever is on your heart.
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This is definitely something that I’ve been wrestling with for a while, especially now in my marriage. Trying to “get over” past hurts and recognizing that those hurts became expectations, which would ultimately lead to frustrations. That’s something that I’ve been challenged by in the past few chapters digging into my past and looking at how much the actions of my parents, HS peers and even in my career have had a major impact on my life.
I agree with you. I have realized how past hurts have become expectations. It’s almost like, if this person does this then it will make up for what was done before. Someone has to pay the piper. But we know that does not happen, even if we force it to. It is not enough, it never feels good enough to forget the past hurts. That is the trap and the lie told to us by satan. The living frustrated instead of living free. I know it it my head, but sometimes I forget it in my heart.
I am really beginning to understand the cycle of past hurts setting up unreasonable expectations creating disappointments dredging up past hurts which starts the cycle over. God is the only one who can heal my past hurts and can make me whole. My husband cannot; my children cannot; my hard work cannot; my attempts to meet the needs of my family perfectly cannot. Only the repeated decisions to ACCEPT the past for what it was and to CHOOSE to believe God moment by moment, let Him deal with the past hurts, let Him fulfill my expectations, and let Him comfort my disappointments will stop the cycle. I choose, again, today to turn to God moment by moment with my hurts, pain, unfulfilled dreams, unmet expectations, and to live in the light of His perfect love and will for me.
Becky,
Praising Him for His understanding that He is filling you with. Praising Him that you are turniing to God and letting go of your past, your pain, your unfilled dreams, and unmet expectation. Praying you sense Him filling you up with his grace and his love. Blessings, Donna B.
Thank you, Donna.
D. Davis,
So thankful for the work that God is doing in your life. It’s amazing what happens when we set ourselves aside to hear what He wants. Praying for you as you wrestle with your past. Praying for God to fill you with His strength and power to overcome the darkness of your past in order to live in the LIGHT of Jesus. Blessings, Donna B.
What a powerful and uplifting testimony you have, Donna. You have encouraged me to go forward in Christ. I feel that my life is held hostage by my past. I hide behind my pride for fear of the “ugliness” of my past being known, and the sense of never being good enough. I struggle with the confidence that my past does not define who I am. I know that I have not totally given my past over to the Lord. Today, I am ready to begin that journey of turning it all over to HIM. Thank you for your vulnerability. I appreciate your prayers. I want to live in His light. I want the confidence that only comes from Jesus Christ.
Praising God that He has prompted you to let go and be FREE in Him!
Father God, thank YOU for the work that you are doing in Donna’s heart. Thank you for prompting Donna to move from the dark to the LIGHT. Go before her. Fill her with your boldness and your courage to continue to stay in the LIGHT. Fill her with the confidence that you would like for her to have. Cause her to lean into you for your power and your strength. IN Jesus’ name. Amen.
Donna
Your story is mine only the details are different. I am working through this same pain at this moment. I have not spoken to my dad since before Christmas because of a fresh wound he made as I was trying to come to a place of loving him again. Please everyone please pray for me. I want to get to the place where Donna is. I am typing this through my tears and a searing pain in my heart. I know in my head the truth of God’s love for me but when it comes to this ugly place in my past I just haven’t been able to find a way to forgive. I want the beauty for ashes and the oil of joy instead of a spirit of dispair. Again I beg you please pray for me. Like Britney I too feel like my heart has given up when I think of my earthly dad.He has let me down so many times.
Bless you Donna for sharing and to all my sisters in Christ.
I pray for you and I both to make the same choice Donna made to forgive them. That doesn’t mean we have to approve, but stop poisoning ourselves with the unforgiveness and expecting them to change.
Father God,
Go before Michelle, soften her heart towards her Dad. Lead her into forgiving her Dad. If it takes 700 times, go before her 700 times. If it takes 7 times, go with her 7 times. Hold her hand and walk her through the process. Fill her with your courage and boldness and love to forgive. Focus her thoughts and her eyes on the desire of your heart. Heal her heart and cause her to lean into you for your strength as she walks this journey of forgiveness and love with her Dad. Give her the courage to continue forward with this journey that you have placed her on. Fill her heart with your love. Allow her to see her Dad through your eyes. Comfort her and show her how to grieve. Restore the joy of heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Precious Lord, please hold Michelle in your loving arms and help her to see that her dad, though doing many hurtful, unloving things in regard to her life, is doing the best that he can, without the help of a loving Father in Heaven – not because he’s a bad human being, but because he hasn’t learned about the good in this life. My life was so blessed, yet I was disappointed in my earthly dad for what he didn’t do – that I thought he should do. With Jesus, there is no tally sheet of “good” and “bad”. We all -every single one of us-have un-ending lists of “good” & “bad” that we regret – but, like we know our Lord does – and what He wants of us – is to focus on the good – in ourselves, in those we love, and those we hate – because there is good in everyone. Many, many years ago I went through a “poison pen year” – when I wrote back & forth to my dad, who lived in the same town – but who I couldn’t bring myself to talk to in person. In that time, I told him about every hurt I had due to his actions or words to me. I needed to get it out. He pretty much did the same, telling me how ungrateful I was. I shed many tears that year – and tried to make him see my side. In the end, I sent him a book, “Parents Who Love Too Much” – so he could understand how his enabling of my brother all his life would lead him to feel incompetent all his life, after his parents were gone. We met, and I think I gave him another book, having to do with faith, so that he would also understand that I know he was doing the best he could. We could agree to disagree about everything. I know that he loved me – but mainly showed me through others – not speaking his love to us directly.
About a year & a half ago, my husband died suddenly, after more than 30 years of a wonderful marriage that we worked hard to keep together over the ups & downs. He didn’t share my faith, but respected that I followed mine. In a way, I think he held it against me, when I couldn’t ever get apologies out the way he wanted me to – or when things could go really well with us for a while, until I faultered again. For a long time I had a deep feeling of sorrow – that I never could consistently treat him as the wonderful, loving, forgiving, providing, and accepting man that he was. It is only bible studies, and constant, daily reminders , while clinging as close to my Lord, that I can feel acceptable, good, and worthy.
The bottom line is that we all fall short of perfection – every day – and Jesus forgives us every time. We must do the same, along with praying for those who don’t know Him. I “came back” to church & my faith, when I saw how others dealt with a great loss – surrounded by the love of a group of Believers. I am sad when I see people go through hard times alone. My dad & my husband would not have felt so alone if they had the Lord by their side. In my heart, I believe that when they died, Jesus was standing there, with his hand on his hip, waiting for them – and said, “Well, do you believe Me now?”
God knows our Heart. We need to use it to share Love & Joy – only He knows how far that Light of His will go. Let go of the hurts, and let God lead you to the unending Joy his path has in store for you.
In His Precious Name,
Linda
Linda,
Thank you for your prayer for Michelle. I love how God calls us to live in community with each other and with Him. So sorry for the hardships with your Dad and your husband. Praying for God to wrap His loving arms around you and fill you with His peace and love as you keep your eyes focused on Him. Blessings, Donna B.
Linda, your story made me ball even more than I was 🙂 . I struggle with sharing my faith cuz my husband doesn’t believe. I need healing so I can share the Light, because I am not consistent. I tend to be seen as a nag yet I do not mean to. I’ve been working on that, but my question is how much of your faith did you share or how did you handle unbelieving family members. Its like I know how Jesus was yet I tend to get frustrated and then I look no different or set apart and well that doesn’t lead people to the Light. And the cycle of guilt come on of my bad performance and wow I can be so mean or great what are they thinking now….and then The Cross and it being about Jesus is out the window and I get tired. I feel so wishy washy sometimes. Thank you for sharing, fear tends to lurk around me and sometimes I can’t get past it and the fear of our future marriage, etc makes me struggle. I get frustrated cuz it seems to be about performance and I have doubts I don’t measure up and I want to be the woman of his dreams but I want it to be real if that makes sense. I am realizing some of you have great faith and I have to cling that at least I have faith of a mustard seed and to not give up and continue to pray for growth, though sometimes I don’twant to do the hard stuff
Christy,
I wish I could tell you how I shared my faith with my family – but I really didn’t. And I know, like all non-believers, they wondered why I wasn’t “practicing” all those good qualities Christians are “supposed to have” – because I messed up time & time again. I was lucky. About 3 years into our marriage, I found out about National Marriage Encounter. I got a brochure with info – and asked if he would go. He said “no” several times before agreeing to go. This ME is not the one connected with the Catholic Church – it’s non-denominational – and even though God is the subject of many of the couples’ sharings, it was good for us that many of the choices we had in our communications that first weekend did not include anything about our faith. I think that’s what hooked my husband. There were always topics that related to us – and ME is not a place where sharing is necessary. In fact, the couples leading later told us that they didn’t think they’d see us again – didn’t think it worked for us – but it did. We became involved in the monthly gatherings, and did present a couple times. I am still amazed that he agreed to do all that. He also was willing to go to a psychologist when we needed help again through the years. I was lucky to marry a man who was willing to do whatever it took to stay together. (Though on our 1st anniversary I would’ve bet we’d be divorced soon!) Our second ME weekend was about 4 years into the marriage – when we started talking about maybe adding children to our love. We decided to. I think I may have been pregnant on the 3rd one. We struggled from time to time, and he never “came to Jesus” as I had hoped. In fact, about a year before he died he got tongue cancer – and found a prayer request I had sent out to a prayer chain at my church. He was furious! He told me I had no right – that this was NOT about me – it was about him. I was crushed – but I had comfort in the fact that everyone was praying for him – and that his belief was not required for God to heal him. We had about a year more together – and it was a good one, in my mind. Did I have regrets? Of course. I was never good enough, in his eyes – but he forgave me again & again, and we had over 30 years of good memories. My two boys are no longer connected to the church – but they know how devoted I am to it. Every Sunday I am filled with joy, and surrounded by others who do good all around them, as I do. If others associate that good with God – great! I try to be a good example most of the time. But our pastor reminds us that we all fail – all the time – but because we are forgiven by our Lord & Savior, we, too, should be more forgiving of others’ faults, too. I’m getting better at that part all the time. WE should not try to control others – God is in control. When I remember that, my days go more smoothly!
Thank you for your response 🙂
Thank you Donna for sharing your story. My heart broke for you as I was reading it. I didn’t go through anything like that but I don’t have a lot of confidence in myself and I am working towards having a Confident Heart in Christ. I used to tell myself I am dumb and not very smart but I am learning to turn those negative thoughts into positive ones. God showed me too that comparing myself to others is a sin since HE made me fearfully and wonderful. Trying to hear HIS voice and follow it instead of satan.
Thank you for sharing.
God bless
Bonnie,
Praying for you. And yes, you are fearfully and wonderfully made by the God who loves us like no other!
Also take a look at Philippians 4:8 “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”
Praying that you t ake those negative thoughts and throw them out and fill yourself up with His thoughts. I as also challenged to read Psalm 139 each and every day for 30 days. It was one of those turning points for me when I took His truths in that passage and moved them from my head to my heart.
Blessings.
I am so amazed by Donna’s courage to share her story. I, too, came to a place where I had the choice to accept my mother for who she was. I was getting to that point and then she suddenly passed away and I was never able to say to her “I accept you just the way you are, the good and the bad”. My mom suffered severe manic depression and when my dad left I no longer had his protection from her extreme moods. For years after being able to be on my own I had extreme anger towards her. It wasn’t until I began my relationship with God that was I able to start choosing to accept my mom. I know my mom isn’t with me now but I am comforted knowing that I now choose to accept her and God has shown me she loved me the best way she could.
Madeline,
Praying for you and praising God for the work that He is doing in your heart. And so thankful that God has shown you that she loved you the best that she could. Thankful that He is comforting you. Blessings, Donna B
thanks for reminding thru your story (and encouraging once again) to pray for my father too…and to remember always that our God is the best Father we can ever dream of.
Leigh, Lynn and Marsha,
Thank you all for your encouraging words! Blessings to each of you! Donna B
Thank you Donna for sharing your story. We don’t get to choose our earthly father, but our heavenly father chose us before we were even born to be his most precious child.
Wow, what a powerful story! Thank you for sharing from your heart with us today!
The Holy Spirit used this to help accept my current situation and choose a way that is honoring to Him. I can do this not in my own strength, but because of what Christ did for me on the cross. Today I choose to leave my expectations at the foot of the cross and see and love the people in my life the way Jesus does. I am thankful the Lord has promised to be a Father to the fatherless.
Amy,
Praying for you. Praying for God to fill you will His courage that will cause you to not only leave your expectations at the foot of the cross but for the courage to leave them there never to pick them up again. Praying that Jesus will give you His eyes to see yourself and to see others through. I too am thankful for His promise that He will be my Father! Blessings to you. Donna B
WOW. God has really spoke to me this morning and I’ve only been awake a couple of hours! Praise Him!
I was first touched by Proverbs 31’s devotional today about spending more time with my Mamaw (the devotional is about Mom, but I’m a bit younger than others :)) My Mamaw is 90, and I don’t want to miss one possible minute with her.
Then, this story about making a choice makes me realize that sometimes when I’m at my Mamaw’s house, I am in a hurry to leave because I have something “more important” to do (oh the shame). I am making the choice right now to visit my Mamaw more often, to spend hours at her house with her, not minuets. To love her, and hug her, and serve her as much as I can. I love my Mamaw more than my own life and I want to make sure she knows that.
Stephanie,
Thank you for sharing your Mamaw story. I’m thinking that your Mamaw knows that you love her. Praying for you as you serve, hug and love her. Praying God provides lots of quality time for the both of you. Blessings.
Thank you for sharing part of your story. My stomach felt sick as I read it and my eyes welled with tears wanting to pick you up after flying off of the horse. I thank God that He is there to pick you up every moment you call on Him. He is your true loving Father. God bless.
Linda, love your heart! And I too thank Him that He is the one that picks me up every day! Blessings.
The question, “How would you feel and what would you do if your Dad were to die this very day?” stuck out for me. I have had that same question asked of me.
It is a hard question to answer, because as Renee stated, “my feelings are demanding their way.” I read Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst this winter. It showed me that my feelings are indicators not dictators.
Sometimes my flesh screams at me to stop trying, to leave him alone and stop caring. I don’t feel like he cares about me.
But like Donna, I have accepted God as My Father. I get acceptance, love, even constant attention from Him.
I have worked with a christian counselor to surrender my right to have a relationship with my earthly dad, but through that I feel like my heart has simply given up. I don’t feel much of anything, except a quietly simmering anger and hurt at times when I reflect on him not trying.
Britney,
Thanks for sharing and I’m praying for your flesh. Praying that God will supply the strength that it takes to obey Him. Remember the promise …. “I have strength for all things in Christ, who empowers me.” (Phil 4:13 AMP). Let Him do the empowering and lean into Him for His strength. Blessings!
Britney, I can relate to your post. I have asked myself that question about my parents dying numerous times. I am at the stop trying stage once again. It just seems like an unending battle. And when I put myself out there and put the past and all those feelings behind me and try again I only get hurt again. He has made it clear he isn’t going to change and I am not a priority in his life. Nor are my kids and grandchild. I have told him over and over how I feel or how I felt all those years and it doesn’t matter to him. I have reached the point where I know he is not going to change and there is nothing I can do or say to make him want to be a consistent part of our lives. And at this point, I feel I am finally okay with that. I have reached the same thought with my mother. I do speak to her and see her regularly but I know because of things that happened in the past we will not have the mother/daughter relationship I thought we would. She can never admit to any of her part in the hurtful things people said to me and how they incorrectly judged me. And I am ok with that as well because I know how she is. She just blames others for the things that happened.
Thank you for sharing!
I ask myself how I wof feel if my dad died and I think it would be a burdenifted. My father was an alcoholic who molested me and made my mother and sisters lives horrible and scary.he is in prison now and with that I don’t have to see him but undortunatkey he still occupies my mind. I try to forgive hi
But how do u when he doesn’t even care enough to apologize? I’m lost on that but I am trying to work through all this hurt to be the daughter of our King.
Thank you Donna for displaying such courage as you shared your powerful story. It reminded me not only of some of the hurtful things from my past that I have been working through, but also to rejoice in those moments when we come to the realization that those things do not define us. We are all daughters of the Most High, Princesses of the King of Kings, and I try to continuously picture myself as the beautiful woman my Father created me to be. The opinions and actions of others may sting, but we cannot let them hold us back. Thank you again for your amazing story.
Thanks Michele. I love that we are HIS daughters! We are the daughters of the KING!!
Thank you Donna! I too have gone through some of the same rejection only it was from my mother. I was very angry at her for many years. I few years ago I decided to let it all go. There was nothing I could do to change her. I do reach out to her from time to time but I don’t think she and I will ever have a “normal” mother daughter relationship. One positive thing that came from this is that I know I never want to be like her and I strive to be a great mother to my kids. I make sure to not only tell them I love them as much as I can but to show them too.
Mayra,
Praying for you and your Mom. Anger was a hard thing for me to let go too until I realized that it’s a choice I have to make 24/7. Just like the choice was to forgive my Dad. I still have my moments especially when circumstances bring him to mind. I just have to forgive again and again as His words tells us, we are to forgive 70 times 7 times which in my book means forgive as needed and some days it is a continous thing. But that’s okay because it’s in our obedience that God brings healing.
Blessings and prayers.
Mayra,
Thank you for sharing a bit if your story. I’m in a similar situation with my mother. I believe she has Borderline Personality Disorder. As a kid, I lived in terror most of the time just wondering what I would do next to set her off. I now know it wasn’t me really, I was just the easy target. Six years ago I severed most of the relational ties in response to some things she did/said. I know my mom’s presence in my life is toxic to me. She has never taken responsibility for ger actions, either in my growing up years or recent years. She still needs to blame me and others. I know it’s a protective mechanism she developed long ago. I did have an hinest conversation with my dad about 3 years ago and he seemed to understand, then went home and betrayed my confidences to her. Now they live in FL and only call my husband occasionally to try to get him to fix me. When that doesn’t work, they vent their anger on him.
I know I still carry baggage. I guess I thought I would heal quickly once they were out of our lives, but I spent many years living under her manipulation and control and it’s taking lots of time. One thing I did learn from her was how not to be a wife or mom.
I know God has a plan to use my experiences for good in my life and I’ve accepted I will never have a normal relationship with my parents, possibly never one again, and I’ve accepted that. Sometimes I just don’t know what my next step is in healing. So I’m learning to wait and enjoy the blessings He’s given me now. The rest, whatever it is, will come in time if it’s His will.
Blessings to you and thanks again!
I am thankful I signed up for this. I accepted the Lord at age 13. I want to go from knowing in my head to walking with my heart. I am having a difficult time with past ghosts of my childhood,early adult hood- reactions, forgiveness. Some days its hard to feel like I can love myself, much less be someone God can love. I am praying and reading to gain understanding . Please pray for me.
Father God, I thank for the boldness that you have filled Sharon with in order for Sharon to share her fears and how hard it is for her to love herself. Thank you that courage. Please continue to work in Sharon’s heart as she moves forward with the study of A Confident Heart. Fill her with your promises found in Chapter 12 and then move those promises from her head to her heart. in Jesus’ name. Amen.
I am thankful that somehow, someway I have felt Gods presence in my life since I was little. I had and alcoholic mother and I believe she had bipolar but was not diagnosed as such. I accepted as a child that my mother was ill.My dad took custody of me at 9. I had many wonderful family members…some with their own problems but they showed me love. I have had a hard life , not unlike many but.. Now I am getting older and am more troubled now….my adult children are living such a hard life with the choices they make….I have and continue to turn this over to my Lord, but I slip and let those neg. talks in. Thank you for this study, Renee,as I am searching for piece. God Bless all who are searching too.
Bonnie,
Praying for you as you seek Him with your whole heart. Keep turning those pages as they are filled with amazing nuggets of God’s promises that will help you with those negative thoughts. Praying for God to reveal Himself to you as your PEACE.
Blessings,
Donna B.
Wow, What a powerful story Donna! Thank you for opening your heart to us and sharing.
People don’t realize the effect they have on you at a young age. In which, holds you capitve. Then realizing as you get older it was not about you at all. Only that you suffered for it because you were there and were the target at the time.
I am so glad God has healed your wounds and has lead you to help others
God Bless
Well said, Angela ~ I am trying to work through baggage so that my daughter doesn’t inherit it as well. I am so happy to be a part of this study. Blessings to everyone:)
Praying for you Maureen.
Angela,
Love how you stated that it’s no longer about us …. and it’s ALL about Him!
Thanks for your words of encouragement.
Thank you Donna for sharing your story!
What a beautiful picture of God’s infinite faithfulness and love. You have blessed me.
Blessings to all of you my Sisters.
Vickie,
Thank you for your words of encouragement. It is ALL God and am so thankful that He can use my story to bless others. More of Him, less of me. So thankful you are walking through this study with us. Blessings to you.
Donna has shared a very powerful story. My heart breaks for her as this is what she has had to live through. However, the rejection and hurt from those close to us in childhood tend to stay with us and keep us from fully living in the light. It’s wonderful to see God’s healing in her story and helping her to come to a place of acceptance, and choosing to turn to God for fulfillment.
I experienced my fair share of rejection, mostly from my peers, as I was growing up. As an only child, I didn’t really know how to relate other kids my age. My parents didn’t really know how to teach me. At one point, my mother found humor in how socially awkward I was. Nowadays, even a gentle snub from one my peers can still bring back the pain. But I’m learning to let it go to God. I know that He is in control, He knows my weaknesses, as well as the weaknesses of others. Like Donna, I need to accept that other people will behave how they choose, and a lot of times, it has more to do with them than with me. And I can choose to listen to what God says about me instead of what others have said.
Now I cheated…I’ve already read ahead to chapter 6 and it is a terrific followup to chapter 5! Can’t wait to discuss it later this week.
Praying for you Julie. Rejection is hard ….. but we must always remember God’s promise that HE will never leave nor forsake us! So thankful and blessed by Renee and how God filled Renee with His courage and boldness to share her story with me. So thankful that you are on this journey with us.
Oh Sweet Donna what you have gone through and yet you show God’s love and forgiveness. Reading your story brought tears to my eyes. All we want as little girls growing up is our daddy to love us. Thank you for being so vulnerable in sharing your story with us. God bless you with many blessing for helping others who have gone through what you have and that they see how you came out victorious in the Lord and they can too. Thank you for listening to God’s voice and showing us it can be done no matter how painful it might be.
{HUGZ} to you!! ♥
Thank you for the {HUGZ}. I can always use one of those! And it was ALL Him! He did the work on my heart ~ especially the forgiveness heart. It was in His power that He took this hard heart and soften it for His purposes. Thanks for your words of encouragement.
Wow, what a beautiful, powerful post, Donna. Thank you for sharing your story!
Eileen,
Thank you so much! Love my Jesus cheerleaders and you are at the top of the list!