I have worked with three women recently who have experienced AHA! Moments in their prayer time with the Lord. Somewhere between the ages of 8 and 16 they each embraced a malformed belief about their identity when they suffered emotional abandonment, as children.
One believed, “It is up to me to overcome” when she was literally pushed out of the family by her parent’s divorce. Another thought that she should be able to overcome her parent’s belittling words about her artistic talents by making things happen when she was deprived of their approval. However, she decided at a very young age “I am lazy and weak.” The third assumed “I must have deserved” the dehumanizing words and actions which tore at her tender heart. The shared thread here was the me-centered word “I”, a common characteristic for the immature minds of children who interpret things as black or white, good or bad.
As we invited Jesus to address these malformed beliefs of children who had been abandoned, His gentle answer was always “I was there with you. I am with you still. You are not alone.” Through tears and quiet reflection, the humble response from each woman was, “I did not know.”
Sometimes it takes us years to learn the truth of Psalm 73:26, My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” What peace will come when we are in a position to receive this truth and believe it.
Blessings in the Lamb,
Annette
Looking with New Eyes 