How Broken are you? God can restore you.

I recall something that struck me about eight years ago at my workplace. We use to utilize our lunch time to socialize with each other around what we called “the round table” I was the eldest of about 7-8 females, and was usually looked upon as the one to offer advice and wisdom to the younger folks; beautiful, lovely darling Belizean girls, within the age of 19 to 25, many of whom have been broken in various aspects of their lives. They knew I was living for the Lord, and always look to me for “the answers”/“an escape” to vent. One day, one of them told me that she believed that God “ favorites” me. It was then I decided to break the ice to them. One day around the round table the topic of sexual abuse came up. Shyly, everyone shunned the questions and the discussions remained somewhat general. Later, I will share with you the end result of that conversations we shared, but first I want to start this lesson by sharing with you an excerpt from my personal diary.
“ 2006……. My parents tried their best to protected me from the outside world, so that no harm could come my way. Yeah, I was loved, and from a very young age I was aware of my self worth and how highly favored I am. But guess what, with all their efforts to protect me, I still manage to fall victim to those ugly monsters used by the enemy who tries to steal, conquer and destroy; the ones that took away my innocence at the tender age of four/five. It was from that early age that I became aware of the existence such evils. Little did my parents know that their umbrella to such forces were penetrated by what they perceived to be “a family friend”. From an early age I realized that the fairy tale world was a myth…You can only imagine what adversities insisted on being my companion after realizing how vulnerable I was. The ugly darts came with direct target at me…Yes. Very quickly I got hit with a poison dart; knocked down, my innocence ripped open, torn apart. That remained my secret life which I kept hidden for the next 15 years from the world; my cross to bear. I did not know better.
I learnt from that young age to protect myself so the world would not hurt me again. I tried not to hurt anyone. With my innocence stolen from me I was forced to adopt, to build armors, this I did by not holding any grudges, and anger and resentment towards others…a pure spirit by nature, for when there is no enemy within, the enemy outside cannot hurt you. No one knew why Pamela was such a “sweet” little girl. It was my defense mechanism against the world. No one had any idea of the guilt and shame I carried for years. My camouflage. I became the perfect actress, the perfect Eve..she was destined to carry pains.
I managed well for a long time, or so I thought. Until, that day around the round table, when my friend told me that “God Favorites me” I had a “wake-up” call, I had to break the truth. They saw my life as perfect, when indeed it was not. You see, I could not be a traitor to these young ladies who had their lives paved out ahead of them. I shared with them my experience.. Guess what transpired next? Of the seven of us sitting around that round table that day, five have been exposed to sexual abuse. My father often told us, that when we complain of not having a shoe to wear, we must remind ourselves that there is that man out there who don’t have any foot to wear a shoe… Like these young ladies, I too had carried the similar stains like they did. Some of their experiences were more traumatizing than mine. But for me, unlike them at the time, I was already restored. That is when I realized how much afflictions are in the world today; how many people are carrying scars from their past. Scars that have not been healed, broken marriage, broken relationships, broken homes, broken, spirits, broken soul. My question is HOW BROKEN ARE YOU TODAY? There is good news. God can heal your brokenness. I was healed. The open discussions was an eye opener. One of the young ladies * also a victim of sexual abuse) went home that night and came back and reported that she found out that night that her child too was being exposed to the same evil.
“I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten.” – Joel 2:25
This is one of the most incredible promises found in scripture. Many times because of past sin and indiscretions we promise to make it all up to God, and we promise to make amends. God tells us here that we have it all wrong. He promises us that he will make up for our destroyed years, all those years of being wasted, stripped, broken by the enemy. The Lord tells us that we cannot even repay Him for a single wasted second. He will make up our losses and those of our family.God created us for His eternal purpose. We were birthed in the redemptive blood for a satisfying life, joy unspeakable and full of His glory. But because of the sin we allowed to enter our life, His plan for us was interrupted and we spent many wasted and lost years. You may ask the question. Weren’t you a child when this happened? How then can you claim wasted years or say “Because of your sins”. Well the enemy’s attacks have no exemption of age. This was obviously an attack by the enemy. Not to be confuses with adversities I mentioned in yesterday’s lesson.
How can God restore that which was lost you may ask? In Christ, everything is new – even the calendar. The Lord goes back to the day the locust came, sees the parts of your life that were wasted/taken away from you, removes them and starts you over again, filling your life with His precious blessings. God promises that He will restore all that He intended for you. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. Do not allow the bitter taste of past failures/misfortunes and defeat to leave you with unresolved issues both in your mind and in your life that will weigh you down as time passes if you allow it. Give them over to God. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
God can restore you. He did so for me at the age of nineteen, and I am confident that he has the same love for you that he has for me. In conclusion, my girlfriend was wrong, God doe not “favorite” me. He shows no partiality. The apostle Peter made this clear. “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” (Acts 10:34-35. I chose to accept his Grace. That choice resulted in the evidence of blessings that she saw in my life. Anyone can have the same blessings. Do not shun away your Blessings he has in store for you. .He is waiting for you call.