June 24
Victim?
We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. ––2 Corinthians 4:8-9
I know guys who get stuck at “why is this happening to me?” and never get past it. You are only going to be truly and radically changed by one person: Jesus. And only one person is holding you back from becoming the man He wants you to become.
You.
No one else is standing in your way. Not your mom. Not your dad. Not your wife. Not your church. Not your high school coach. Not your pastor. Not your friends. Not your enemies. Not your boss. Just you.
You may have been terribly victimized. Abusive home. Sexual abuse. Heavy dysfunction or abandonment. And that’s simply terrible and not your fault. However, when you can separate the victimization (wrong acts committed against you) from the victim (you), you can begin to live life on God’s terms, rather than being held in chains by the things that were done to you. You are not the cruel acts committed against you. They do not define you. Put slightly differently, being victimized doesn’t permanently mark you as a victim.
Brother, please hear me: I am not telling you to downplay the terrible things you’ve been through. Jesus sees. He weeps for you. But He also has healing for you. To remain rooting in the wound means it cannot close and form a scar. The scars are what show us that the wound has healed. Jesus’ scars give witness to His victory upon the Cross, while yours give witness to your victory in the Cross.
You start by owning your pain. Your anger. Your bitterness. Next, you process it with God and a therapist, pastor, or caring professional. You forgive those people who wronged you. You let go of bitterness. As you do, you take back the ability to not remain a victim.
And I truly get it: Without a spark of hope, all can seem lost. Like you will always be stuck in the bitterness of past abuse or trauma. But be encouraged by Paul, a man who went through more loss and heartache than most:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. ––2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Though you and the world around you may see you as a victim, that’s not how the Father sees you. You are His child. Beloved. Secure. A sojourner on a path toward healing, rather than a victim stuck in the wounds of your past. And when it’s all said and done, His opinion is the only one that matters!
Father, I surrender the forgiveness process as I let go of my past and release the people who hurt me into Your hands. I’m tired of carrying the weight—You take it, Lord. Thank You that I don’t need to carry the victim label any longer.