Does Anyone in the Church Love Me?

[Amaan]

I want to know if anyone in the Church has love for me. I'm struggling with sexual abuse, and I honestly wonder if anyone would care if they knew in my life that it has happened. I'm not asking for pity, I would just like to know.... I posted here and asked for prayer a few weeks ago... although I forgot that I did. I would like to know if its possible I'm just overreacting due to a post trauamatic reaction I've had recently.

Is God punishing me with reliving my abuse?

[Doyne]

I can honestly say that I love you but you must understand it is the love of your brother in Christ. I don't actually know you or what happened in your life but i can assure you that mine has been no bed of roses. Yet it is the suffering in my life that actually strengthens me and draws me closer to God. I made a couple of intersting discoveries along these lines. First I had to forgive myself for feeling the hate and rage that was within me. It made me feel so separated from God and everyone else I was tormented and couldn't seem to locate the source. I thought that I had to forgive the others who had abused me but as it turns out I could say that but i couldn't do it until I had first forgiven myself. I know it dosen't make sense to my flesh man either but it is true. I also discovered that as I drew closer to God by allowing myself to actually be forgiven, I became able to embrace my suffering and that ended it! Seriously when I started to praise God for using the sin and other crap in my life to make me stronger and to be truly thankful for my good as well as my bad I got stronger than i have ever been. Third do not lean too much on anybody else..... lean on God and the Holy Spirit who is the comforter. We people will inevitably let you down or hurt you if you put too much trust in us. we won't mean to hurt you but it will just happen that some time or another we will not be there for you. God will never leave you nor forsake you. No sin, no pain, no devil from hell and not even an angel from heaven can separate you from God and his love for you is eternal. His love never has been conditional and is not based on how good you are, what you believed, how you are now nor how you were then. His love is eternal it was before you were born and will remain after we are gone home. God loves whether we know it or not.

Why did he allow me to be hurt and other good people to suffer like you well first of all he didn't. We suffer and die in this world because of sin. Sin from Adam all the way to us. Sin is the true source of all suffering but not the cause of it many times. I mean to say that a person may not have cancer because of some sin they commited but cancer exists because of the sin that exists in the world. The scripture says to be the friend of the world is to be the enemy of God. That is why God said that to us to help us understand he will not dwell or share us with sin. Anything that turns our focus away from him is considered sin even what is normally a good thing. I only say that to try and help you understand not to overdo your good works to try and compensate for the past bad ones. Just let it all go by turning to God and dropping everything at his feet, all of it the good the bad and your heart.

Hope this encourages you -- we do love you.

[Bondman]

I want to know if anyone in the Church has love for me. I'm struggling with sexual abuse, and I honestly wonder if anyone would care if they knew in my life that it has happened. I'm not asking for pity, I would just like to know.... I posted here and asked for prayer a few weeks ago... although I forgot that I did. I would like to know if its possible I'm just overreacting due to a post trauamatic reaction I've had recently.

Is God punishing me with reliving my abuse?

You had two questions and the answers are quite simple:

1. Does anyone in the Church have love for me? YES, YES, YES!!! Plus understanding, and care, and empathy, and more.

2. Is God punishing you? NO, NO, NO!!! God does not do that. Just the opposite! He loves you with a love beyond what any of US can love you with. So much so that He sent His only Son to earth to ultimately allow Himself to hang on an horrendous cross, there to take the punishment for every sin of every one of us - so that we could be forgiven and go free. THAT'S HOW MUCH GOD LOVES YOU!!! And so do we, okay!

- BM

[Trusting Jesus]

I want to know if anyone in the Church has love for me. I'm struggling with sexual abuse, and I honestly wonder if anyone would care if they knew in my life that it has happened. I'm not asking for pity, I would just like to know.... I posted here and asked for prayer a few weeks ago... although I forgot that I did. I would like to know if its possible I'm just overreacting due to a post trauamatic reaction I've had recently.

Is God punishing me with reliving my abuse?

Remember that we live in a fallen world. This horror that happened to You is not from God, nor is He punishing you by making you re-live what happened. God is love. When you read your Bible and see the way Jesus related to the people around Him. He talked to prostitutes, but did not condemn but forgave. He touched lepers (a no-no in the eyes of the Pharisees) and healed them. He met a Samaritan woman and opened her eyes to His love and understanding. Jesus loves you and is not punishing you.

In our human nature is something that makes us hold on to unhappy things, and often we try to blame ourselves for something that was done to us. This condemnation does not come from Christ and should not come from those who are Christians. It is Satan who tries to condemn, but all he can do is try to get us to condemn ourselves!

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:1

Draw closer to God, read you Bible, and do try to get some Christian counselling.

<>< ><>

Nathele

[Leonard]

The Lord is not punishing you with those memories. It is only normal that intense memories recur to us sometimes.

May the Lord bring you peace and strength.

e-mail me any time: leonardenniss@cox.net

[Iryssa]

I want to know if anyone in the Church has love for me. I'm struggling with sexual abuse, and I honestly wonder if anyone would care if they knew in my life that it has happened. I'm not asking for pity, I would just like to know.... I posted here and asked for prayer a few weeks ago... although I forgot that I did. I would like to know if its possible I'm just overreacting due to a post trauamatic reaction I've had recently.

Is God punishing me with reliving my abuse?

ABSOLUTELY we care.

Overreacting? No. I believe it's quite possible it's linked to the Post-Traumatic Reaction, but it's a perfectly natural, normal reaction to have in that situation!

God is not punishing you...you have been through something horrible, something devastatingly traumatic, and healing is not going to happen overnight. You simply have not healed yet...and that's perfectly normal too (not to say that it's a nice thing, but it is a fact).

I do think good Christian counseling (from a licensed counsellor who is not going to tell you something like "go home and pray it off") would be of help. It doesn't mean you're crazy or anything--I actually believe that everyone could benefit from some counselling--but you do need a hand up to help you heal, and that's what counsellors are there for.

Focus on the Family has trained and licensed counsellors you can talk to (they don't charge for their services, and it's all still completely confidential). Maybe calling them would be a good place to start, and in addition to talking and praying with you, they can point you in the direction of resources in your area. The phone number is on this page, under "Counseling Department."

I wish I knew what else to say...but you are loved and you are in my prayers.

[Ningning]

Keeping you in my prayers too. The joy of the Lord is your strength, Amaan.

Looking unto Jesus, the beginning and the finisher of our faith. Focus your eyes on Jesus, behold Him only, accept your pain, accept who you are, do not resist the reality. It may be hard but it's where you begin.

I am not saying this without knowing it myself... the past may be bleak, but I looked unto Jesus, and He changed everything. It did not happen overnight though, as I would like it to be. However, I am amazed at how He has fashioned me, and I saw what God has wrought in my life, and I declare, "It's Beautiful". It's not months, but years I spent in waiting. Yet I believe, God can do more... He's not finished with me yet. He can do the same to you.

View your relationship with God positively.

In time you will also say it to yourself, This is the Lord's doing, it is marvelous in my eyes...

You are strong, you can give even if others do not do the same to you. Do not put trust in the flesh, because you have the Great God. You have Jesus.

Be encouraged in your Spirit, Amaan. People in this place care a lot.

Ning

[Iryssa]

How are you doing, Amaan?