Chained to Abuse…

A story is told of baby elephants in the circus world coming under the “chain of control.” Immediately after birth, the baby elephant’s leg is chained to a stake. No matter how hard he tries, he cannot tug free. Soon the young elephant stops pulling against the stake. He accepts as fact that he has no power to become free. Over time, the elephant matures in his body, but not in his mind. Although he possesses the physical power to free himself with ease, he is mentally and emotionally powerless . . . he doesn’t even try! Adults who were abused as children often live with this same false sense of reality. They perceive themselves as powerless. They don’t realize that God can pull up the chains of past abuse and set them free!

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” -Galatians 5:1

Q: “What will help me overcome a victim mentality?”

You can overcome a victim mentality by changing the way you see yourself. As a child, you were defenseless, but as an adult, you are no longer without power.

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” -1 Corinthians 13:11

Q: “Does God even see the grief in my heart?”

Yes, He sees your grief, and He takes it seriously.

“You do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless.” -Psalm 10:14

Q: “Where was God when my abuse was happening?”

Two attributes of God are omniscience (all-knowing) and omnipresence (present everywhere). Though God never wills evil, He is with us when we suffer.

“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” -Proverbs 15:3

“He [God] does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.” -Lamentations 3:33

Key Verse to Memorize

“You do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless.” -Psalm 10:14

Key Passage to Read and Reread

Psalm 91

Click here for the PDF version of the complete Victimization Resource Guide provided by Hope for the Heart.