Chapter One: How it begins
The little boy ran to his mother, pointer finger held high, displaying a small cut with a drop of blood starting to form.
“Mommy, look! I’m bleeding!” His eyes began to fill with tears.
“Oh honey, that’s just a paper cut. Let me clean it up and get a Band-Aid for it.” The mother locked eyes with the child sending love and reassurance straight into the little soul. “Will you kiss it too?” He asked as one tear streamed down his cheek.
The mother picked up a tissue, dampened it with water and gently wiped the blood off his finger. Then she patted it dry and placed a small Band-Aid over the red mark. Lifting the small finger to her lips, she kissed it ever so lightly. The sweet face of her son stared up at her as she wiped the tear from his cheek and replaced it with another kiss.
“Does that feel better, honey?” She asked him.
“It feels like it never happened, mommy. Thank you for fixing it!” The child’s face lit up as he ran out of the room and back to his activity.
While this is an ideal scenario, something similar happens every day in many homes across the world, but not necessarily with the same response. Children are precious gifts that come from God and they are born totally dependent upon family; a term that may mean one or two natural parents, a step-parent, a grandparent, or even an aunt or uncle. Whatever “family” means to a child, it is their lifeline to the future, especially their emotional future, and it will be distorted and stabilized many times before they become adults. The distortions will not only occur through family members who mean no harm; but will also find victims through neighbors, neighbor’s children, churches, well-meaning church members, and even clergy. Is it any wonder that children progress into adults with minds that are full of dark places?
In this life, regardless of the type of family situation, eventually, something will happen to cause emotional hurt that may alter the trust that is placed in another person. When this occurs, it can quietly create vulnerability without necessarily giving notification. When such vulnerability happens, it can be the beginning of an emotionally stunted growth process. Some people will attempt to handle this gracefully and maybe they will succeed. Many may go to therapists, psychiatrists or psychologists for years to correct this problem, although they may not have a name for it. Others will take prescribed medications or even use street drugs, possibly unconsciously trying to heal themselves. Then there are those who never acknowledge that the vulnerability exists; and in an act of self-preservation may create an alter ego that can change not only who they are but perhaps who they were intended to be. One can only speculate how many people end up in prison having handled vulnerability in such a way? The point is that everyone has probably had something happen to them in their own history that has affected their view of themselves and made them vulnerable. In some cases, there may as well be a large “V” tattooed on their foreheads. At first the “V” could stand for “vulnerable” but if not resolved, it might later stand for “victim”.
Anyone can experience vulnerability from emotional pain and there are all types of help available if a person is interested. But if the person is a Christian, faith can play a major role in leading him to recovery so that he does not have to carry emotional baggage for the rest of his life. Through faith a person can also find the tools to overcome in a short time what it takes most people years to accomplish. It takes faith to live the Christian life and certainly to overcome all the obstacles that try to turn one away from his beliefs. There is very little that a Christian can endeavor to do that does not incorporate an element of faith. No one knows what is in the future for the United States or even the world, so preparation is crucial. To endure and overcome whatever challenges may lie ahead; Christians need to be free from anything that has rendered them vulnerable. Emotional baggage from the past creates victims. If a person can acknowledge the possibility that emotional wounds do exist and that these wounds can hide inside the mind; then perhaps he can acknowledge that healing is limited only by his willingness, through faith, to believe and receive. The first step in the healing process is to acknowledge vulnerability.
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