Overcoming Domestic Violence

David, the psalmist, asked of the Lord in Psalm 119:18 (NLT), “Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.” I’m sure that David’s physical eyes were indeed open when he wrote this, and he could see before him. So, it isn’t a stretch for you and me to conclude that David was referring to a different kind of seeing, the kind of sight where a person sees with spiritual eyes.

As we move about our daily lives, it is incumbent upon us to consider the reality that we don’t always see what we need to. Our eyes are open, and we’re going about our routines, but we often miss the thing that is going to transform our lives into what God intends them to be. Sometimes we don’t realize it until WHAAM! Something happens that completely throws us for a loop. We often refer to these incidents as ‘wake-up’ moments, because they cause us to come alive in ways we haven’t before, and we almost always change trajectories when they occur.

Many of us that have suffered abuse become somewhat anesthetized to the WHAAM! We’ve trained ourselves to become numb to treatment that would normally shock anybody else. This is harmful for all sorts of reasons, but the most troubling one is that we’re running further away from our true identities. In Revelations 3:2, Jesus Christ tells believers to wake up and strengthen what remains, because even what remains is almost dead. It’s not God’s Will that we walk around asleep with our eyes wide open. He wants us to snap out of it. He wants us to recognize that we have a purpose, and it includes our happiness.

God is not the author of our ‘WHAAM!’ moments. They happen because we’re not paying attention to our spiritual lives, and therefore, our souls are malnourished. When we’re in this condition, we can’t see what we need to see, or hear what we need to hear; because our senses are too dull.

We are spiritual beings having an earthly experience, and as we sojourn on this earth, God has commanded that we do so in a certain way. He tells us in Galatians 5:25(NLT), “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” If we were capable of leading and guiding ourselves successfully through life, we wouldn’t have the hiccups and mishaps that we do. The truth is that we were created by God to be led by His love. He knows what is best for us in every aspect of our existence.

When we’re so out of tune that we’re not even listening to our own spirits, hiccups and mishaps are bound to happen. Among many other wonderful things that it does, God’s Word tells us about His nature, it acquaints us with who God is, so that we get to know Him as our Heavenly Father. One of the most significant aspects of His nature is that He is faithful to His Word, because His Word is truth. He doesn’t ever make a mistake or need a do-over or a back-track. So when He tells us to do something in His Word, He means for us to get it done. He tells us to wake up and be alert. This means that we have the choice to come alive to faith—to get WOKE—or to stay asleep.

You don’t know your full story. You have no idea of the wonderful blessings that God has planned for you, but this one thing is for sure, you must allow Him to lead you to them. John 16:13 tells us the Holy Spirit that indwells us will lead and guide us to ALL truth. He will tell us what he hears from Jesus Christ, and this is the information and navigation we desperately need.

The more we ignore the lessons of “WHAAM!’, the more severe they become. Don’t wait for the next one. Reach out and grab the Lord’s hand. He told His people in Isaiah 41:10 (NLT), “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” He makes this same promise to all of us today. Trust in Him with everything in your being. Don’t just open your eyes, wake-up to His love.■

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

“Anesthetized to the WHAAM!” written for Overcomingdomesticviolenceorg.wordpress.com. Copyright ©2020. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!