I can't remember how many times I've shared my testimony with someone in the hopes of encouraging them, only to be told, “You should write a book!” However, that's not yet an area I've got the courage to venture into, so I'll share my journey here as I go along… Please note that I don't share my story to dishonour, blame, or shame those who have wounded me in any way, but merely to expose how my own sinful responses towards what happened caused me to remain stuck in the trauma of the events — in the hope that my testimony will bring hope to those who are struggling with the same issues. It's inevitable that offence will come in life, but whether we respond to it in a godly or ungodly way is entirely our choice. What happened to us as children was not our fault, but what we do now — what we think, how we dress, where we go, who we go with, what we touch, who we touch & who touches us — is our full responsibility! God has given us a rule book, the Bible, to tell us how to win at life. Jesus came to heal the broken-hearted & bind up their wounds. He came to set the captives free. Healing & restoration also come by confessing to one another (James 5:16). We are wounded in relationships, but we also heal in relationships. Having confessed, we need to receive forgiveness and let it cleanse. “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) Although the Blood cleanses us, it is not the task of the Blood alone to heal, but the fellowship with one another that brings healing & restoration. We need to be restored to the fellowship of our fellow citizens. Only their acceptance & embrace can heal years of suffering & ostracism. That is, after all, how we experience God's love. Knowledge will never override experience. You can tell me you love me until you're blue in the face, but because of my lifetime experiences of betrayal, rejection & abandonment, I will never believe you unless I experience it through your actions. After all, actions do speak much louder than words. I share my story so that others may find hope in knowing that if God did this for me, He will do it again for them, too. 🕊️