Letting Go: Family Trauma And AddictionSample

Do The Hard Work

Day 5

Could you imagine spending your whole life with a veil covering your face, blinding you from living the life God has for you? When you turn to Him for help, He can show you the things in your heart that need to be healed. He wants to lift the veil from your mind so you can see yourself the way He does. He wants to offer you eternal life and freedom from any kind of bondage or addiction.

When I stayed in a vicious cycle of doing things my way, it kept me miserable and stuck in my pain. It didn’t relieve me of my addiction or self-hate. I had experienced years of trauma, and to survive I had suppressed incredible pain that ran deep. This caused me to stay bound to an eating disorder for so long it made me physically sick. To heal, I needed to address the trauma.

This is where my therapy came into play.

Every time I had a counseling session, we discussed and dealt with my traumatic experiences. After many sessions of walking through the pain of my past, my urges to binge and purge got less and less. But again, please remember that healing is a process and it takes time. Quick fixes don’t work. I know I keep repeating this, but I had to give God total control of my life.

There were days when I didn’t like what He was doing, because He was removing things that would pacify me. But now that I look back, it was all for my benefit. It was so I could grow in my relationship with God and not depend on the other things that soothed me. He removed things from my life that were hindering blocks. These were my obsessions, like having the perfect body. He removed unhealthy relationships and everything I kept running back to instead of Him.

Today I no longer believe the lie that I have to be perfect. I no longer have tormenting voices in my head that I can’t control with God’s truth. I am no longer bound to an eating disorder that controlled my life, even though I believe I will always be challenged in this area somewhat. But it no longer consumes me.

I have a deeper understanding of God’s love for me today, and this is key to the healing process.

This is the life God wants for you, too. He wants you to feel free.

Reflection

Are you ready to do whatever it takes to walk in the freedom that God has for you? What is He asking you to let go of?

Do you need to get additional help or support, like counseling or a recovery program?