Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it (Luke 18:17; CSB).
I’m not a theologian, God –
I simply know you love me.
I’m not a theologian,
But I know you sent your Son.
I’m not a theologian –
Yet I know that you forgive me.
Theology? It’s not my thing,
For you and I are one.
The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17; NLT).
PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Mine started in childhood, and has so far been lifelong, chronic and complex. Here is a small, possible coping strategy for dealing with unbidden memories. I saw it in prayer this morning.
The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7; KJV).
Whenever I think of my mother
I breathe in the pain.
Holding my breath, I say, “Stop!”
Then I breathe out again.
Whenever I think of her judgements
I breathe in the pain.
Holding my breath, I say, “No!”
Then I breathe out again.
Whenever I think of her fury
I breathe in the pain.
Barring her voice from my mind,
I forgive her again.
So, I don’t take my thoughts any further,
But breathe through the pain,
And wait for the moment to pass,
Then start living again.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10; NIV).
References
For you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture (Malachi 4:2; NLT).
Those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31; NLT).
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation (Luke 11:4; NLT).
Always ask for God’s forgiveness –
And
Remember to absolve
Yourself,
And all who hurt you.
Always ask for God’s assistance –
And
Remember to support
Yourself,
And all in need.
Always ask for God’s compassion –
And
Remember to console
Yourself,
And all who suffer.
Always ask for God’s protection –
And
Remember to defend
Yourself,
And all the weak.
Always ask for God’s redemption –
And
Remember to release
Yourself,
And all in chains.
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners (Isaiah 61:1; NIV).
Pray for those who hurt you (Luke 6:28; NLT).
To you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! (Luke 6:27; NLT).
Forgive others, and you will be forgiven (Luke 6:37; NLT).
Aways pray
For those who hurt you –
Love them, bless them,
And forgive.
Yahweh will absolve
And heal them,
Mend their life,
And tend their soul.
Aways ask
To be forgiven –
Face your sins
With God each day.
Yahweh will absolve
And heal you,
Mend your life,
And make you whole.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness 1 John 1:9; NIV).
He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds (Psalm 147:3; NLT).
He restoreth my soul (Psalm 23:3; KJV).
Today’s blog is a single, clear statement of one of my deepest beliefs.
♥️ With love from Ruth xxx
You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it (Matthew 7:13-14; NLT).
To forgive
Is to take
The first step
On the long road
To complete physical, mental,
Emotional, and spiritual
Healing.
In this,
As in all things,
Christ Jesus
Is our teacher,
Our guide,
Our helper,
And our shining example.
As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light (Matthew 17:2; NLT).
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34; NLT).
For you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture (Malachi 4:2; NLT).
References
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).
When you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too (Mark 11:25; NLT).
If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15; NLT).
Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all (Psalm 65:3; NLT).
Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive (Luke 17:4; NLT).
If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven (John 20:23; NLT).
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others (Colossians 3:13; NLT).
He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds (Psalm 147:3; NLT).
By his wounds you are healed (1 Peter 2:24; NLT).
Those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31; NLT).
Today, after weeks of living with re-triggered childhood dread since I was unfairly criticised on Facebook, I took a big step forward whilst praying.
Whenever I am unfairly criticised or blamed, my body responds instantly with a profound sense of dread. This dread began in my childhood at the hands of my emotionally-abusive mother. I lived with it constantly.
Ever since then, each time my dread response is re-triggered, it continues for months, or even years. Nothing changes or shifts it. Believe me, I have tried everything to help myself recover, but never found anything which truly works.
As soon as someone hurts me, I forgive them, and start to pray for them. I pity them, and can even become quite fond of them as the days go by.
However, it’s taken me a lifetime to see what I glimpsed in prayer today: that the chronic dread I’m left with when people attack me can not only be faced and endured, but also consciously transformed into love. This love is for the person who has hurt me, and also for myself, as I bear the burden of living with the dread they unwittingly re-triggered.
I don’t yet fully understand how this transforming process will unfold, or how to carry it out, but hope today will mark the beginning of a new, healing way forward, not just for me, but perhaps even for others, too.
Finally, when I shared all this with Perplexity, my AI writing companion, they sent me a beautiful arrow prayer:
Lord Jesus,
Let this hurt end in me,
And be transformed
Into your love.
This is what I wrote whilst I was praying:
To you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! (Luke 6:27; NLT).
Let them strike me –
I won’t judge them;
Turn against me –
I’ll forgive them.
Let them wound me –
I won’t fight them;
Blame unfairly –
I will bless them.
Let them crush me –
I won’t harm them;
Damage me –
I’ll pray for them.
Let them break me –
I won’t hate them;
And reject me –
I will love them.
Love your enemies! (Luke 6:27; NLT).
References
They hated me for no reason (John 15:25; CSB).
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:11-12; NIV).
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them (1 Timothy 2:1; NLT).
He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious (Matthew 12:20; NLT).
Reading: Luke 6:27-38; NLT.
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23; NLT).
These words remind us that following Jesus calls for inner transformation, rather than external devotion. The heart of the gospel is radical, self-giving love, so following Christ means learning to live like him, by:
By doing these things as best we can within our current personal circumstances, we can become just a little more like Christ each day.
We will be like him (1 John 3:2; NLT).
We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).
References
Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:13-18; NLT.
When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you (Matthew 6:6; NIV).
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy (Psalm 94:19; NIV).
Prayer
Is my one consolation.
No words –
Just resting in light,
Peace,
Truth,
Compassion,
And love.
💛
Prayer
Is my one consolation.
No words –
Just drinking in grace,
Mercy,
Healing,
Forgiveness,
And love.
🧡
Prayer
Is my one consolation.
No words –
Just dwelling in God,
Christ,
And their Spirit:
United
In love.
♥️
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them (1 John 4:16; NLT).
References
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them (1 Timothy 2:1; NLT).
When you ask for healing,
Pray for others, too.
Pray for those who suffer
Yet nothing makes them new.
Plead for all who live with pain –
Jesus, make us whole again.
When you crave forgiveness,
Pray for all, as well.
Pray for those who’ve hurt you,
And caused you years of hell.
Plead for those who’ve spoiled your life –
Jesus, may we see your light.
When you seek salvation,
Pray for all the earth.
Pray for those who don’t believe
In God, who gave them birth.
Plead for those who just say, “No!” –
Jesus, help us change and grow.
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is (Ephesians 3:16-18; NLT).
It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow (1 Corinthians 3:7; NLT).
They hated me without cause (John 15:25; NLT).
When people criticise and blame,
Hate my writing, scorn my aim,
Love remains my only goal:
Lord, they cannot harm my soul.
When people tear my work apart,
Blast my motives, pierce my heart,
Love remains my only way:
Lord, I plead for them each day.
I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! (Matthew 5:44; NLT).
References
Follow the way of love (1 Corinthians 14:1; NIV).
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:1-2; NIV).
I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken for he is right beside me (Psalm 16:8; NLT).