Human trafficking, abuse and spiritual trauma happen in the context of relationships and the aftermath often leaves us with low self worth, filled with fear and believing lies like:
- My abuse is my fault.
- I am shameful and should feel ashamed.
- I am unworthy.
- I am powerless.
Over time, these lies effect us until we don’t know that they are lies anymore. They dramatically influence our sense of self worth, self talk, how we relate with others, God and the world around us. Because our thoughts, emotions and actions are interconnected, these lies impact our everyday decisions and the direction of our lives.
The good news?
These lies were learned and so we can replace them with learned Truth.
Learning the Truth by repairing the damage that happened in relationships is most possible in new safe, loving relationships, where we learn through experience over and over again Truths like:
- I am loved.
- I am wanted.
- I am enough.
- The abuse was not my fault.
- I am not defined by my abuse.
- I am worthy.
- I am free and unashamed.
- I am capable.
- I am powerful.
- I am lovable.
- I am worth it.
- I am a priority.
It’s not like we can simply look at this list and will ourselves to believe the Truth in our hearts. If it were that easy, we would have felt better ages ago. To replace lies with Truth, we need to experience the Truth in safe and healing relationships before our hearts catch up to our heads. For me, God helped it happen through a loving coaching and discipleship relationship with a woman who is still a dear friend today. In many ways, I am still learning and growing through this process. There is no timeline or rush for God’s healing.
When you are learning how to choose safe relationships, consider learning through coaching, therapy, support groups, or even reading books or articles like THIS one from Dr. Henry Cloud.
Don’t know where to start? Drop me an email, text or leave me a voicemail. I am happy to help you get started, and I am committed to ensuring that every victim, survivor and overcomer has the support she needs for her journey.
