A Renewed Mind

Some people say that, if someone has suffered child sexual abuse, they are damaged for life, or it’s a life sentence, or they have suffered irreparable harm.

It may be true in one sense, but it denies the incredible capacity and potential that we have as human beings. We have the magnificent power of Executive Reasoning. We choose how we will behave, respond, speak, act; we can choose what we think.

Any two year old will show you that. Just watch them decide. They decide to obey or not. They choose to play nicely or not. They choose to eat or not.

Thought, independent from circumstances, is the result of decision. The decision to think on purpose has changed the world. There have been thousands of people who developed new technology or dreamed up ways of doing things that made huge impacts on humanity.

George Washington lead his troops through devastating circumstances and eventually won the war for independence from England. He became the first President of the United States of America.

George Washington Carver had very traumatic early childhood experiences, but learned to read in an environment of great opposition. He went to college and developed many agricultural advances. He became a world famous chemist and botanist.

These are just two examples of people who could have been scarred for life, dying in obscurity, but chose to think on purpose. You can think on purpose too.

Scripture says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. This term means extremely respectably and amazingly awesome, aka wicked cool, if you’re from New England.

We are also instructed to to choose life or death, blessing or cursing. So, that means we can choose what to do and what to think or say.

We are first a spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body. Our spirit is our perfect part, made in the mind of God. Our soul is the part of ourselves that connects the spirit and interacts with the physical world. Our brains are part of our bodies. Our body is our vehicle.

When we choose our thoughts, we control our destiny.

We don’t have to stay stuck in the cycle of abuse. Many people are affected by PTSD. It’s very real. The thoughts and flashbacks are devastatingly powerful. We can cope and eventually overcome by intentionally, focused thinking. Many of us will need extensive professional help and some require medications for some time, but the real healing work is done in our thought life.

There’s hope for every trauma victim to be a survivor. The Bible says that we are supposed to comfort with that from which we ourselves have been comforted. When we come through really rough stuff, we don’t just go about our own way, but look around and see who we can lift up to bring with us to the place of peace and joy.

I had horrifying flashbacks and my imagination was rife with scenes of my murder when I ran away from my trafficker. I had nightmares and all kinds of intrusive thoughts.

During times that I was in control though, I purposefully thought about things that would strengthen my mind, things that would soothe my spirit, and things that would give me hope.

I wrote some of them in a short ebook. I will send it to anyone who wants it. Just put your email in the box and get it automatically.

It’s just a start and it may not meet your specific need, but it will give you an idea of how to change your thinking.

Even if we feel out of control, we can still choose to regain control and renew our minds. We must not trust our feelings. As we get our thoughts aligned with what is good and helpful in our lives, we will still have times when negative thoughts haunt us.

Just like going for a canoe trip up a river, there will be times of great effort and times of light effort. Life is not stagnant. We cannot float. We must always row, and sometimes with tremendous effort, but that is the only way to keep going in t he right direction.

I don’t mean to sound simplistic. It is a simple concept, but it is definitely hard work.

I hope this helps. I genuinely care about you and I want you to make progress. Don’t forget about the Recovery Graph. There are no straight lines. It is a rocky road, full or hilltop experiences and valleys full of the shadows of death.