Forgive Your Parents (1)

"Be...forgiving...as God...forgave you."     Ephesians 4:32 NKJV

There is nothing worse than the pain some parents inflict on their kids.  Often it stems from ignorance, but that doesn't lessen the hurt when you're on the receiving end.  A Christian author writes: "Needs not met in childhood will be just as strong in adulthood, but they will be expertly camouflaged.  If you were abused as a child, don't be misled into [thinking]...'I'm born again--I shouldn't still hurt.'  The fact that you still hurt doesn't negate your born-again status or make you feel less spiritual.  Because people tend to view God the way they viewed their parents, it takes a time of healing, deliverance, and getting to know the love of God before total trust comes.  Forgiving your parents is a big part of the healing (and crucial to avoiding the pitfall of abusing your own children).  You have to forgive the father who never protected you, the mother who mistreated and abused you, the stepfather who didn't love you, the grandfather or uncle who sexually molested you, the parent who was never there or deserted you through death or abandonment...the selfish parent who reminded you that you were never wanted, or the emotionally deficient parent who didn't know how to properly nurture you.  These bitterly painful experiences will continue to hurt you if you don't...release all that pain and bitterness...and ask [God] to help you forgive...He is a God of restoration and redemption, so He can redeem whatever...occurred in your past.  He can mend the breach between you and your children or parents, or friends.  Restoration doesn't happen overnight, but redemption can.  Allow God to redeem your situation now, so it can be turned around, and headed in the right direction."

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today