Getting a Do-Over - I Would Stop the Abuse (Part Deux)

Getting a Do-Over - I Would Stop the Abuse (Part Deux)

YOU KNOW, Carrie was so shocked to find herself in a verbally abusive situation that she wasn’t sure that what she was experiencing was real.

Girlfriends, do you recognize verbal abuse when it happens to you?

This has been my experience: the first time it happened to me (and there were many because this went on for over ten years), I was shocked that a person I respected and cared for could use such hurtful words toward me. I dismissed the individual’s tone and disapproval as stress induced.

The second time it happened, the familiarity offset the shock, and I felt only the pain of the words. But I dismissed those feelings because I believed, as I had been told, I was overly sensitive.

Every time the abuse occurred after that, I began to think that I must deserve what this person was dishing out. If you love someone or consider them an authoritative figure in your life, after a while you begin to believe them because they seem so sure and so confident in their accusations and assessment of you.

Can you relate to this? If you’re in this type of situation, share your experience with a friend who can help you be objective and who can help bolster your self-esteem. No one in the world has the right to use words, tones, or threats that undermine your self-confidence.

The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear.What can mere people do to me?Yes, the LORD is for me; he will help me.I will look in triumph at those who hate me.It is better to take refuge in the LORDthan to trust in people. (Psalm 118:6-8)

You have the right and the power to choose to stop the abuse. What are you waiting for?