Abused, Neglected and All Alone

When working with hurting people, my heart aches along with them, yet I know when "truth" comes, peace will come like a flood and wash away the pain. The feeling that comes with this experience is truly indescribable.

One such incident occurred when I was working with a lady who had been severely abused and neglected as a young child. After using the Seed Digging process to help her find the "seed" that was the driving force behind so many emotional and behavioral problems in her life, I asked if she would allow "truth" or "God" to speak to her so that she could uproot that "sad seed" once and for all. She quickly made it very clear to me that she didn't know if she even believed in "God" but she knew "something" was out there. She adamantly said that she did not want to call it "God."

As a counselor I'm trained to never push my values or beliefs on anyone yet I also know that the "source of truth" sets people free from the inside out. In my early days as a counselor, I used to struggle when clients had a different belief or value system than I had. But as I've grown and matured in this role, I've discovered that it really is okay that others don't believe the same as me. Nevertheless, that day my mind was still a little disappointed that she didn't call that "something" "God," yet my heart told me that our goals were exactly the same: we both wanted her to experience internal peace and be set free from the pain and anguish. I'm so thankful I followed my heart that day and didn't get caught up in that old mindset.

So following her response, I asked the lady what she wanted to call that "something" that she knew was out there. She proceeded to tell me that she had been hurt by so many religious people who had used religion and fear to control her. She said that "God" was a scary word to her so she wanted to call it her "friend."

I chose to use her language and asked her "friend" to speak to her regarding that "seed" in her mind that caused her to believe that she was "worthless and that no one cared about her."

Immediately she began crying and told me a story of when she had been pulled from her home and placed in Foster Care at 6-years-old. She recalled laying in bed, underneath a blanket one night, feeling so horrible and guilty for telling on her father for what he had done to her. Because she had told, both her and her sister were removed from their home and placed in a stranger's house. She described the scene of laying under her blanket, crying herself to sleep, believing that she was all alone and was a horrible person.

After I had asked her "friend" to come and speak "truth" to her, she discovered that she really wasn't alone. Her "friend" had just revealed to her that he was the "blanket" that surrounded her that night when she was a little girl. He had always been there. He also told her it wasn't her fault, she was a good person, and he loved her.

Immediately in that moment, "truth" set her free from all that pain and guilt she had carried since childhood. She then proceeded to tell me that she had always had a strange fascination with blankets and never knew why. Even as an adult she loved blankets! This new "truth" helped her finally understand why.

That day I was amazed by what I witnessed. I watched a lady walk into my office with heavy chains of guilt and shame she had carried since childhood, literally find internal peace in just a few moments, and walk out the door weightless and full of life--all because her "friend" spoke "truth" and set her free.

That day I was also reminded of a valuable lesson: My Creator is so much bigger than my words and his love is so much greater than the little box I sometimes put him in. I also was reminded that it is only my job to help guide a person to "truth" and he will do the rest.

That session was simply one of many others where my "friend" has proven that his love is big enough to finish the task. He always has and he always will.