Your child will . . .
- always deal with the trauma of her past.
- never fully heal.
- always struggle with relationships, attachment, life in general.
- not be able to control her behaviors due to her past.
Love is not enough.
These things can't be changed.
They are all absolutes. Except, I don't believe in absolutes. I've been thinking about this for quite a while. I've wanted to post for almost as long, but I know this will not be a popular post. It won't be one that all or even many agree with. But see, these absolutes don't just contradict my beliefs. They contradict the One in which I believe. They contradict His Word.
I've heard it all. I've read it all. I've feared it all. I'm pretty sure of it. I'm an avid researcher. It's both my friend and my nemesis. But when I go back to the Word of God all of the absolutes don't match up. I do not believe that God intends for any of us to live as a slave to our past whether it be abuse, neglect, abandonment, rejection, or even our own actions. I believe if His Word says it we can do it, it is true, and we can live out our lives according to His scriptures. Everyone. All of us. Period. No one is beyond this or unsaveable. No one.
Before going further I want to clarify a couple things: (1) I believe "ALL scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16) Having said that, there are times when a verse will resonate with me in a way that stands out, and I know God is speaking through that particular verse. (2) I don't believe in one "life verse" per person, and that's it. And if you don't have one? Well you're in trouble. Not even close, but in Anna's case I felt pressed to seek out a verse pertaining to both her situation and her past. And God has been faithful to give me not only one verse relating to her but many.
So about a month before we picked up Anna I began praying for God to give me a scripture for her. I prayed and prayed. There were many middle of the night prayers. And I honestly expected a flowery, pretty scripture for my little girl. A beautiful, poetic Psalm full of inspiration and beauty. I never, in a million, years expected the scripture that came to me early one morning as I stumbled bleary eyed into the bathroom to wash my face. But I knew as soon as it came that it was for our Anna girl, our fighter, our little warrior.
" 'No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,' Says the Lord." Isaiah 54:17
"No weapon" . . . "No weapon" . . . "No Weapon" . . . I take that as a promise from God . . . my God, my Jesus, the Holy Spirit . . . my Father, my Healer, my Deliverer, my Savior, my Counselor, my Comforter, my Provider, my Friend . . . "No Weapon" . . . not malnourishment, not abandonment, not rejection, not abuse, not substance abuse, nothing done or not done before she was born during pregnancy, nothing done or not done during her life in the orphanage . . . "No Weapon"!
With this scripture came other scriptures. Some in the days leading up to pick up. Some in the days, weeks, and months since coming home.
"For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them." Psalm 139:13-16
" And He led them forth by the right way, That they might go to a city for a dwelling place. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness. Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons— Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High, Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He has broken the gates of bronze, And cut the bars of iron in two. Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all manner of food, And they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions." Psalm 107:7-20
"But He was wounded for our transgressions, He as bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him. And by His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5
These scriptures you just read . . . these are my absolutes. No book, no study, no research, none of it takes precedence over these.
Earlier, one of the absolutes I posted was "love is not enough", and to an extent that is true. My love, my husband's love, human love . . . it's never enough. Not for any of us. But the love of God is far greater, far stronger, and unfailing in every way. It is enough. For all of us.
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