Hello everyone! Another week, another story, another moment to breathe and say...." I've made it.." at least through to today; and you should be darn proud of yourself because it's the daily things that compound overtime to make the grander things life worth-while after all. Cristal and I are so grateful for you and you taking the time to stop by and decompress with us a little before the weekend! Since we left off, we've been talking a lot this month on GROWTH; and it's a topic and encompasses a lot of topics a month really isn't long enough to complete so we might touch back on this again. But anywho; here is the close to tour first series of the year, we pray it blesses you; & opens your heart to a different perspective. 💗-D&C Claiming your growth is a daily act that is met with its own challenges. This month, we have unpacked from our own personal lives how growth of ANY kind, demands sacrifice. Cristal Lowe: " I would like to share how I was finally able to find my self again; of course not completely, but the beginning of my destiny started the moment when I stopped living my life as a victim and stopped feeling sorry for myself. The bible speaks on Mark 12:28-31 about two important commandments and if I was looking to give God glory with my life then first I needed to honor him by loving my self, taking care of my body, being good to my self because my body is his temple. GOD could not turn around what the enemy meant for bad (Rape) and turn it into good if I continued to hold on to the label and actions of my victimhood. This took time. But slowly I found myself loving myself more, loving life with no fear I found myself being the young woman I was before rape because I no longer allowed my experience to control my mind, emotions, or feelings. I had to understand that God's love was so real that what happened to me was of course a life experience I will never forget, but that I had a choice to use my voice to speak and to advocate to help those going through what I went through. Using my voice to encourage their voice. I was a Victim but I'm Victorious now. The second commandment speaks on loving your neighbor as you love your self. As my mentor/pastor Kadesh Jackson always says "There is nothing bigger than LOVE." Yes sometimes it's hard to love when you have been hurt, but once you start seeing your experiences/ trials in a different way other then hurt, Gods love will concor all of your pain. So choose LOVE. Love for others; and more importantly your love of SELF. INSPITE of everything you've gone through. That part wasn't your fault. But your life is your purpose. It's time to take control not your "now"; even if you couldn't prevent what happened then. Your pain and life experience WILL come to pass & in that moment, your future will shine bright ahead." Like Cristal, one major thing I've had to sacrifice was letting go of a destructive label I'd been accustomed to for far too long... When I filed the initial police report after the rape; I was automatically addressed by police, counselors, and any person of authority as a "victim". I was characterized as only being the person who could not vocalize her uncomfortability because she was drugged, the individual who could not muster the strength from her numb limbs under the weight of man twice her size. They painted the picture vividly so no one could make the mistake that He was the predator; and I his prey... I was mangled in the labels and confused that a classmate could turn into the enemy by actions and now the perpetuation of a set of words. The case was eventually dropped due to a "lack of sufficient evidence". And the only thing I could hold onto were the words, and the pain. I had to carry on with my life with the label I adopted of being a "victim" which I wore in future relationships that carried on after the assault. The label I adopted made it impossible for me to trust, to love myself and others properly, and to feel safe within my own body. I made a decision soon after I accepted JESUS Christ in my heart that I had to adopt this new identity that I was truly born again. That I was as 2 Corinthians 5:17 states that; " Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come." In order for me to adopt these NEW things I had to let go of my past; aka my entire identity (at least so I thought). I had to also realize the difference in letting go and avoiding. Growing past pain and into PURPOSE required me to let go of my past and grab hold of my truest identity in Christ. This has not been an easy journey, nor was it an instantaneous sense of freedom I felt come over me once I made the decision to grow from something I've buried my identity in. From this continuous growth experience I've come to realize that relationships of any kind take work. And the lasting ones require patience, kindness, and love. The biggest help in growing from claiming my victimhood to claiming myself a survivor was recognizing the love I had to grow from within. No matter what the soil looked like or the drought I felt I was in, I used the resources that I could, I practiced my new identity and less of my old one daily by speaking affirmations God was well-pleased in hearing. Words and labels that I accept as truths today; "that I am fearfully and wonderfully made." "That God didn't make a single mistake in my life" "that I know my pain in validated in the torment felt long before I was born; through the crucifixion of sinless and perfect man I've accepted as my savior and healer." •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Your pain doesn't have to be your daily occupation; you can grow, you CAN adapt; not because the world continues to move on without you; but because the world needs to know you've made it too...and your TRUEST self needs you to claim who you TRULY are; a SURVIVOR. -DevinMarie 💗 thank you for reading; and for continuing to GROW with us! We love youuu! Stay tuned for a new series next month! ✍🏽🦋
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