His Way

RESTORATION: Quite often, when a person invites Christ into his or her life, developing a relationship with God is perceived as having God as an ally—having Him in your corner so to speak. In the person’s simplicity and naiveté, their perception is that Almighty God is there to help them further their ends—to help them achieve their goals in life. They operate under this delusion for a while—sometimes for a long while—until their carefully constructed world begins to crumble.
Many things can shatter a person’s world, including religious abuse. More than anything, religious abuse can knock the legs right out from under a person. When this happens, all of their grandiose aspirations seem to go with it. It’s like blunt force trauma to a person, stopping them dead in their tracks, changing everything. It also knocks the grandiosity out of a person.
When this happens, the abused person no longer has ends of his or her own to achieve. Their illusions about themselves have been dashed on the rocks, especially after having been subjected to shame, ridicule, and caustic criticism.
Such a crushing experience impacts a person’s core emotions, producing bitterness, resentment, and a hard heart. Just when the person believes that nothing else good will ever come into their lives, Almighty God comes calling again. Beginning with a gentle whisper, He lets the person know that they were traveling along their own road with their own goals, which were not His.
When that happens, at first the person is shocked, never having considered that he or she had been pursuing goals that were not aligned with God’s. As time goes on, however, and the relentless heartbreak of abusiveness takes its full toll upon the person’s soul; they become much more willing to listen to the voice of Almighty God.
http://pushingjesus.wordpress.com/

The shock and horror of abuse dulls over time.  Bitterness dilutes. For me, a blessing came when a teacher pointed out those that use religion to abuse others they are far from Heavenly Father.  I needed time to process this information.  The teacher didn't realize the impact he had on my life.  I kept searching and learned a few things.

Luke 17:2

Viewing the King James Version. Click to switch to 1611 King James Version of Luke 17:2.

It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

The Bible is very clear on Christ's thoughts on abusing children.  That didn't stop my abusers.  I struggle with scriptures and prayer and faith because I am human.  But there are moments when I forget about people and their short comings and I connect through scripture or prayer with my Heavenly Father.  I feel Christ encouraging me to follow His path.  His way is not the easy way.  His way is not nice and comfortable and all positive.  His way is not impossible either.  There is nothing my abuser did to me or had me do that can keep me from following Christ's way.  Understanding what He asks of me is easy and hard.  He left an instruction book.  Studying then applying what I learn isn't easy yet every morning I have another day available to try again.  My past still nips at my heels, but time is teaching me that I can crush its head.  Christ died for me, opening the gates of Eternity to new and wondrous possibilities.  He binds up the broken hearted and heals the sick and wounded.  Christ is nothing like the false image created by the religious abuser of my childhood.  

I found the link to a different version of Footprints in the Sand:
http://www.wowzone.com/prints2.htm

Enjoy.