I don't see myself as a victim.
Victims don't get past their pain, they remain in it.
I know because I was one...I was stuck in my pain like being caught in a briar bush with long thorns ripping my heart again and again. I tried to heal my heart on my own and failed. But I am here to testify of God's amazing love and what He did for me personally!
I am an overcomer from:
Domestic violence: Being beaten, choked, thrown against walls, objects thrown at me, battling over a loaded gun, and threatened with my life...BUT GOD!
Verbal and mental abuse: Being told no man would ever love me, that I'm a not a good person, and many awful words that were far worse than the physical blows...BUT GOD!
Control and manipulation: I wasn't allowed to have friends or communicate with my mother. I was held captive and not allowed to be myself or have any freedom. I was controlled in what I wore, not allowed to have access to money, not allowed to have friends without being punished...BUT GOD.
Sexual Abuse: Forced to do things against my will...and so much more...BUT GOD.
Abandonment: Grew up with a Daddy that ignored me and didn't participate in my life. A husband of nearly 13 years who left me because he couldn't handle me being sick with a chronic pain condition. Opening up my heart again to a guy who I loved more than any man I ever loved, and then left me for another woman. I suffered rejection that nearly took my life...BUT GOD.
A broken heart that was beating but was still bleeding: I tried alcohol, dating many guys, shopping, and anything that would numb my severely shattered heart, but could not find relief. I cried myself to sleep almost every night for three years...BUT GOD!
I once was a victim of these things, but Christ set me free, and there was no condemnation or judgment like the people at church who are in love with religion more than having a relationship with Jesus, or others who were not walking in my shoes. Religion didn't relieve my pain! Jesus did! In encountering His unconditional love, He healed me. His arms, they sustained me. His waterfalls of grace, they washed me. His love came down and rescued me. His love set me free. I AM an overcomer because of Him. If it weren't for JESUS. I honestly would not be here today, and because of Him, I now help and encourage others to encounter His love too. He is the healer of broken hearts and He is the redeemer of past debts. He is the key that unlocks our chains. It is for freedom that Christ sets us free. He came to not condemn those who are lost, broken, lonely, confused, or forgotten...the ones who are prisoners in their own filth and shame. He came for those who need him. He loved me at my bloodiest, ugliest, and right in my deepest darkness. I cried out to Him when I had no hope and He answered me. This is my testimony! What is yours? ~ Jenny Williams, A Modern Day Ruth Copyright 2015
