Thankfulness

My therapist asked me once if I was thankful that I had been molested. He prefaced with the fact he knew that it was an odd question, so I understood that I would have to think on the question for a little bit. Once he asked, I knew exactly what he was going for. He wanted me to think about how my abuse has framed my life. Oddly enough, I had thought about this question before.

I assume that if I hadn’t been molested that my life would have been better. However, there were so many factors in my young life that caused me to struggle with a variety of issues, I’m not certain how different my challenges would have been. Yet, I never want to discount the gravity to which my sexual abuse changed the trajectory of my life. I was damaged before, and being sexually abused only magnified how broken I was. Also, my abuse severely limited how I could respond to difficulties and set-backs in my life.

However, I did make some positive decisions about my life in response to my past sexual abuse. I was able to give my life over to God, allow Him to guide me through faith in Him, and develop a structure in my life that I outlined from the Bible. Also, I disciplined myself in many areas of my life so that I could achieve a t the things I set my mind to. Additionally, I’ve been able to heal my life in a variety of ways that include not only my past sexual abuse, but also much of the brokenness that had happened at all times during my life.

I would never want anyone to experience what a sexual abuse survivor has had to endure. However, everyone has gone through some life-changing difficulty. My hope is that we would all grow and heal from those wounds, helping and supporting one another through it all.