Survivors

Survivors. A title so many of us use to give meaning and validation to our lives.

Survivor. A person who has experienced adversity, loss, and/or obstacles and is overcoming them.

Survivor. A person who has suffered and has eternal scars, things that we can see and observe.

Survivor. A person who has internal scars that we cannot see or observe but which are very real.

Survivor. What have you been a survivor of?

You have/are suffering the fear, anxiety and trauma of a missing loved one, not knowing where that loved one is, what has happened to that loved one, or even if your loved one is alive or dead.

You have experienced being diagnosed with cancer and are dealing with the fear of what will happen and an uncertain future and with pain and even financial worries of health care.

You have suffered the devastation and loss of a loved one at the hands of a murderer and you have a new mission in life, finding justice for that loved one and keeping your loved one's memory alive.

Whatever we are survivors of, we have known pain, loss, grief, maybe shame, devastation, even helplessness and the loss of the will to hope or live.

But we are not victims. We are survivors. By God's grace we can heal, persevere, forgive and become better, stronger people, using our experiences for the help of others.

I may wish that my life experiences had been different, that I had done things differently or that God had not made me as He has; I may still feel regret, shame, guilt, fear, anger, and loss.

But I am a survivor, and God is using my life experiences to make me what I am becoming today; He has a purpose for my life beyond what I may see and above and beyond what I can imagine.

I am a survivor and I'm free to become what God wants me to be, whole, strong, caring, loving  and forgiving.

You have known the indignity and cruelty of being sold for someone else's greed into a trade where you have have had to do things that no one should ever be asked or made to do; we call it human trafficking.

You have, as a child, been violated and told to keep it a secret and not ruin reputations; even today, you may never have told anyone because you fear not being believed or when you did tell, you have not been helped; you are one of the estimate 65 million US survivors of child sexual abuse.

You became pregnant as a teen and since no one wanted you in that condition, you were forced to abort your baby and were not even allowed to grieve; even today you are haunted with shame and guilt which you dare not share because you know you will be condemned by most people who don't understand God's grace.

Whatever we were survivors of, we have known pain, loss, grief, maybe shame, devastation, even helplessness and the loss of the will to hope or live.

But we are not victims. We are survivors. By God's grace we can heal, persevere, forgive and  become better, stronger people, using our experiences for the help of others.

I may wish that my life experiences had been different, that I had done things differently or that God had not made made me as He has; I may still feel regret, shame, guilt, fear, anger, and loss.

But I am a survivor and God is using my life experiences to make me what I am today; He has a purpose for my life beyond what I may see and above and beyond what I can see or imagine.

I am a survivor and I'm free to become what God wants me to be, whole, strong, caring, loving  and forgiving.

You have suffered the terrifying experience of being abducted, heing held against your will, wondering when you will see those you know and love, being violated, being brainwashed and maybe even resigning yourself to your fate, believing you will never be rescued.

You married a person with anger issues who had learned to resolve conflicts with fists; your partner or spouse uses you as a whipping post, controlling your money, isolating you, even hitting you and threatening your life.

You have suffered the unspeakable grief of losing a loved one to suicide; everyone, including you, are suffering not only agonizing grief but also guilt at wondering if somehow you could have prevented it.

Whatever we are survivors of, we have known pain, loss, grief, maybe shame, devastation, even helplessness and the loss of the will to hope or live.

But we are not victims. We are survivors. By God's grace we can heal, persevere, forgive and become better, stronger people, using our experiences for the help of others.

I may wish that my life experiences had been different, that I had done things differently or that God had not made me as He has.

But I am a survivor and God is using my life experiences to make me what I am today; He has a purpose for my life beyond what I may see and above and beyond what I can see or imagine.

I am a survivor and I'm free to become what God wants me to be, whole, strong, caring, loving and forgiving.

You grew up in a very dark place with illnesses of the mind where you thought and acted in ways that were a total mystery to yourself and those around you; you lived and still may remain your closet, in fear, guilt and shame and in terror that you will be found out and be stigmatized by all.

You grew up experiencing a condition called epilepsy and seizures; you have spent your life covering up your condition, even calling it and your seizures by other names and going to great lengths to hide it, including your medications and covering up the side effects.

You grew up being called stupid, spoiled, lazy, clumsy, and were placed in schools that stigmatized you for life; you grew up with shame and feelings of guilt and worthlessness, hopelessness and wondering if there would ever be a place for you; all this was because your autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was never properly diagnosed.

Whatever we are survivors of, we have known pain, loss, grief, maybe shame, devastation and even helplessness and the will to hope or live.

But we are not victims. We are survivors. By God's grace we can heal, persevere, forgive, and become better, stronger people, using our experiences for the help of others.

I may wish that my life experiences had been different, that I had done things differently or that God had made me different from what He has; I may still feel regret, shame, guilt, fear, anger and loss.

But I am a survivor and God is using my life experiences to make me what I am today; He has a purpose for my life beyond what I may see and above and beyond what I can imagine.

I am a survivor and I'm free to become what God wants me to be, whole, strong, caring, loving and forgiving.

You grew up in a home where you were neglected, too much was expected of you, or you may even have been hit, beaten, threatened, and where you felt the helplessness and hopelessness of an abused child; even today you may still be haunted by your trauma and wonder if you can trust anyone.

You grew up with a parent (s) who loved you but whose substance abuse addiction overpowered their love; you were neglected and may have even seen or been abused; you felt anger, fear, shame, loss, and hatred for your parents.

You grew up in a home with a parent who used you for his or her sexual pleasure; you feel shame at what has happened to you, helplessness at preventing further abuse, and anger at your other parent for not coming to your rescue; even today, you stay in your closet because you fear that you would be judged or not be believed.

Whatever we are survivors of, we have known pain, loss, grief, maybe shame, devastation and even helplessness and the loss of the will to hope or live.

But we are not victims. We are survivors. By God's grace we can heal, persevere, forgive and become better, stronger people, using our experiences for the help of others.

I may wish that my life experiences had been different, that I had done things differently and that God had made me different from what He has; I may still feel regret, shame, guilt, fear, anger and loss.

But I am a survivor and God is using my life experiences to make me what I am today; He has a purpose for my life beyond what I may see and above and beyond what I can imagine.

I am a survivor and I'm free to become what God has made me to be, whole, strong, caring, loving and forgiving.

You were in a terrible car crash and were left with permanent disabilities where your loss is as real and as painful to you as the loss of a loved one would be; you have lost a carrer you loved, so-called friends, a way of life, even your old identity.

You lived through a terrible disaster, man-made or narural and you suffered the shock, devastation and loss of a way of life, a loved one, even permanent physical injury; whatever you have lost, you can never forget.

You are a veteran, serving your country and you have done and seen things that no one but your fellow vererans can understand; you may be home but the war still may be going on here for you as you can never be the same person, emotionally or physically, that you were before you left.

Whatever we are survivors of, we have known pain, loss, grief, even shame, devastation and even helplessness and the loss of the will to hope or live.

But we are not victims. We are survivors. By God's grace we can heal, presevere, forgive and become better, stronger people, using our experiences for the help of others.

I may wish that my life experiences had been different, that I had done things differently and that God had made me differently from what He has; I may still feel regret, shame, guilt, fear, anger and loss.

But I am a survivor and God is using my life experiences to make me what I am today; He has a purpose for my life beyond what I may see and above and beyond what I can imagine.

I am a survivor and I'm free to become what God wants me to be, whole, strong, caring, loving and forgiving.

You grew up in poverty and want, with a good but uneducated mom who had to use government assistance and you and your family were among the "less fortunate" and seen as charity; often your only source of nutrition was the free lunch school program at your public school; you had to struggle to get an education and then a job but you did it.

You grew up with disabilities, visible or invisible, where what is easy and taken for granted by everyone else has always been a struggle for you; you may wonder why you have been put on this Earth, why God has made you as He has; you want nothing more than to be accepted for who you are and to be allowed to be independent, productive and valued.

You grew up as the target of peers who plugged into your vulnerabilities and who bullied you extensively; the adults in your life did not handle your situation well and you felt that you were not heard, that you did not have a voice and that you did not count; even today, you may have a tough time trusting people and their motives.

Whatever we are survivors of, we have known pain, loss, grief, maybe shame, devastation and even helplessness and the loss of the will to hope or live.

But we are not victims. We are survivors. By God's grace we can heal, persevere, forgive and become better, stronger people, using our experiences for the help of others.

I may wish that my life experiences had been different, that I had done things differently or that God had made me differently from what He has; I may still feel regret, shame, guilt, fear, anger and loss.

But I am a survivor and God is using my life experiences to make me what I am today; He has a purpose for my life beyond what I may see and beyond what I can imagine.

Survivor. What if our lives had been easy, pleasant and fun and only good, wonderful, exciting things happened to us with nothing to survive?

Survivor. If I had unscarred by life, I would never be able to develop the virtues of compassion, wisdom, patience, courage, forgiveness and perseverence.

Survivor. I may have been led to believe that I am doomed to lasting failure, and to repeat the mistakes of the past.

But I am not a victim. I am a survivor and I'm free to break the cycle of abuse, addiction, failure and other realities that may have been my life.

I am a survivor; God's grace has brought me through, caused me to over come and to continue to overcome until healing is complete.