Jesus knows the abuse in my life … and one of the results is that I can be (wrongly) suspicious of Him, His motives, or His methods. So He keeps healing me in various ways … all of them tender, patient, and consistent. Like this week…
I was reading, “you will call Me “my husband” and will no longer call me “my master”…(Hab. 2:14-16).
And I couldn’t get past that phrase. I’ve read it before, but this week I realized I had alot more fear in me, and that was getting in the way of receiving His love for me. So I had to just soak in the words … wondering, “what’s He saying to me?”
“Come on, sweetheart, make the transition, in your head and heart towards Me, from slave to wife…
from duty (as in “I have to or I’ll get punished”) to love (as in “I’d love to!”),
from feeling like My “property” to being My bride, a person,
from “figure out the rules” to “relax in the relationship”,
from “below” to beside Me,
from outside the walls to inner most room (intimacy),
from temporary to permanent (always),
from “can be sold” rejected or removed, to legally family “til death do us part”,
from limited (in what I can say or do) to unlimited access,
from permission (have to ask permission for everything, every act) to freedom,
from used to cherished,
from “what’s good for me” to “what’s good for YOU”,
from NO choice to freedom to choose,
from involuntary subjection to voluntary submission,
from chains put on me to rings exchanged,
from being a “thing owned” to being someone treasured,
from bought and bound (bound to answer, respond) to bidden (asked, free to say no),
from obscure to adored,
from serving to served,
from prohibited from to provided for,
from scorned, belittled to sacred, beloved,
from reduced, ridiculed to respect,
from poor to prosperity,
from punishment to protected,
from lowest, least to loved,
from humiliated to honored,
“There is no fear in love for perfect love cast out fear, for fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” I John 4:18
I love Jesus for thinking that way about me.
feeling less scared, more loved,
Joan
This is such a blessing to me, Joan! Having “been there done that,” I can really relate to how difficult it is to change your view of yourself after being abused. But, as you so wonderfully illustrated, it IS possible through the love, mercy and grace of Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for Him in my life!
Blessings to you and yours,
~Anna