Sexpections: God, Intimacy and Your Love LifeSample

Day 4

"They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace." Jeremiah 8:11 ESV

Almost certainly you’ve experienced people who have tried to heal your wounds “lightly.” They’ve minimized your hurt and trauma, treated it superficially. “Oh, just forgive and move on. Shake it off. It wasn’t that bad.”

Perhaps you’ve tried to treat your own wounds “lightly” as well. 

I agree with many experts who believe we have all been harmed sexually in some way. That may have been childhood abuse or molestation, rape or other sexual violation. It could also have been exposure to sexual material before you had the mental/emotional wherewithal to deal with it, or sexualizing your relationship with an adult in some way, or receiving messages from those in authority, including those in church, that led to a warped or harmful view of sex. 

You didn’t wake up one day and decide to have sexual issues. There’s a story behind how you came to be where you are. In that story, it can often be difficult, if not impossible, to determine where someone else’s “fault” ends and yours begins. You are NOT responsible for what happened to you! And almost certainly you also sinned in the ways you responded to all that you experienced. 

The important thing is that Jesus is not nearly as concerned with apportioning out “blame” as He is in inviting you into a journey of transformation forward, together with Him. 

Take your story seriously. Your story matters, specifically your sexual story. What happened to you matters. You deserve to be taken seriously and God does so. He doesn’t treat your wound “lightly!” Jesus sees you, and He looks at your story with honesty and compassion. 

That’s also the way He invites you to look at your story. This means being honest about what happened to you, how it affected you, what you’ve done in response, and how your sexual brokenness is impacting you now. Looking at your story with both honesty and compassion is a huge Step One in the healing/transformation process. 

Heavenly Father, You already know my story and I’m glad You can see where I’m wounded, even if I try to pretend I’m not. I ask for courage as I look at my sexual story with honesty and compassion. It’s good to know You take my story seriously. Help me do the same. Amen.