Joy Strength

The continued problems from sexual abuse are not exactly from what happened to you. They are a result of the fears that developed after the trauma of the abuse. In order for real healing to take place you must face the fear and pain, and allow the Lord to speak truth and peace into your heart.

Facing that fear and pain requires the strength that comes from joy. Joy is not happiness, it is the assurance that God is in control, that He loves you, and that He is committed to bringing good in your life. Those are things that are not easy to develop, it takes time.

One of the first steps is to begin choosing to return to joy after hard things happen in your life. It is choosing to look for the ways that God is blessing and being grateful for them. It is also developing the habit of looking for God's blessings every day.

In order to begin developing joy strength, commit to writing 3 things that bring you joy, in your journal every day. From now on, every time you communicate with your mentor, tell her the 3 things that have brought you joy that day. She should also be sharing her 3 with you.