You are allowed to be tired.
You are allowed to be angry.
You are allowed to be confused.
You are allowed to be hurt.
You are allowed to scream, cry, and ask questions.
In the midst of all of your valid and deeply painful and intense emotions I also want to remind you:
God was not the one who hurt, abused, or castigated you, nor did He tell anyone to do and say those things to you.
It was people.
People who were not walking in the fruit of the Spirit.
People who were self-righteous.
People who were condemning instead of lovingly correcting.
People who were controlling rather than guiding.
Sinful people who did not love God, were not submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ, and not indwelt with Holy Spirit.
They were instead submitted to their flesh and wickedness. Their father was the devil himself.
It was the people who did those things to you.
And I know that many would say:
“Well, it was the God that they claim to follow, so I don’t want anything to do with Him since they were like this to me. It must mean that He is like them too.”
I hear you.
But their “god” is actually themselves.
The Enemy.
The Enemy of God.
The Enemy of humanity.
The Enemy of all things good, and lovely, and pure, and holy.
The Enemy who is after your soul. And mine.
Satan. The devil.
It was not the one true living and LOVING God of the Scriptures.
And this is why God calls us to follow HIM and not ourselves nor others blindly.
But…
The Enemy doesn’t have to win.
The Enemy doesn’t have to keep you in a place of despair, pain, and anger.
The Enemy doesn’t have to have the last say over your faith.
Here is my plea to you:
While you absolutely have the right to leave an abusive environment, please don’t leave Jesus.
While you absolutely have the right to feel all of your emotions, please don’t let them lead you away from Jesus.
While you absolutely have the right to take time away to figure out what you believe, please don’t leave God’s Word behind.
Please. Truly get to know Him. And don’t let sinful people warp your view of God and His great love for you.
Do you need to talk?
Vent and have someone to listen to you?
Be encouraged that what you went through was not ok?
Need to be told that it’s ok, to take your time, and that you ARE going to heal?
Need resources to help you heal and navigate everything you’re processing?
I’m here to talk or just listen and help in any way that I can.
I know that because of our backgrounds and experiences, faith can be confusing and off-putting sometimes. But I also know that God is an amazing, loving, and patient God who can not just “handle” our questions, but who welcomes them.
So please, before you leave Jesus, let’s talk.
Love,
brit
