Living In Saturday - Life After Abuse

In reading a book this morning by Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew, I realized something I want to think as profound. Jesus died on Friday. We call it Good Friday because it was by dying on the cross that we have the ability to live. Jesus became sin for us on Friday - He bore all sin ever committed against us. Friday was the day hell danced! Satan and his comrades partied that they had defeat the Prince of Peace. He gloated in his victory of stealing, killing and destroying Jesus as the promise of hope for mankind.

We lived through Friday.

Anyone who has been abused relates closely to the concept of becoming sin for others, for we bearing the markings of their sin in our own physical body and soul. Our abuse is similar to the time of suffering Jesus felt. He was rejected, misunderstood, unsupported, and even hated. No one protected Him - no one dared to speak up in His behalf - they were all too afraid of their own retribution or death for getting involved. Everyone was silent - even Jesus was silent. He did not defend himself.

Jesus was tortured - likewise we were tortured. He was abused by evil people who toyed with Him, mocking Him, beating Him. His skin was bruised and bloody. We know this horrid time - we have experienced wickedness committed against us. In the final hours when Jesus hung on the cross, blamed, and charged as guilty for speaking truth, he uttered these words, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

Forgiveness - we find is something we all must deal with if we have been abused. We have to forgive them because in some humanly sick way our abusers have taken out their pain and suffering on us - when we were innocent. They punished us for things we didn't do - they beat us because their warp mind convinced them that we were guilty and deserving of brutality.

Our years of ABUSE was our Friday. It was a cross of suffering we bared. It was when our innocence was stolen away. All the years of our childhood suffering was a horrific punishment we bore but did not deserve. It was our torture that still effects us today. And it was not good while we experienced it... it does not turn into anything good until we process it and use it for our good and for the good of others.

We are living in Saturday. 

It has no special name like "Good Friday" or "Easter Sunday." Saturday drags on as we deal with the wounds inflicted on us. We are triggered by our senses and take a tailspin into sorrow with which there is no quick-fix switch to stop the foreboding trance that overtakes us. Our mind is troubled. Often broken into little compartments to keep us from crashing under total recall of what we have endured. Some of us even live with splits - creative ways our soul has devised to protect our innocent child nature within.

It is during Saturday that we must battle through the condition we are left. Ragged, confused, broken, hurting, and exhausted - we push on. We press toward a hope for healing. We seek out experiences that we transform our pain. We often find solace in self-expression - discovering who we were before abuse ripped apart our sense of security and belief in unconditional love.

On Saturday Jesus descended into the depths of hell - he released the captive of those who lived before his birth, of those who placed their faith in believing that God was who He said He was - the Great I Am - the Creator God - the Jehovah who lead the Israelites out of slavery to a promise land.

We are in the midst of Saturday. We know it in our bones. Occasionally we get a glimpse of Sunday - Victorious Resurrection Day - but if we are gut honest - life is really hard and we find it difficult to sustain victorious living day in and day out, moment by moment.

Most certainly we are moving toward Sunday! As we grow and heal, we spend more time in joyous living. We experience time with God - in His amazing presence as a solace, a refuge. But we still live in the midst of others suffering within their Friday and we shared with others walking through their Saturday-just like we are doing.

We know Sunday is coming! We have that hope!

While we are 'waiting' we are living our life to honor and bring glory to God. Some say Sunday has already arrived, those of us who have experienced Friday and live in Saturday -- we KNOW Sunday is not yet lived in the fulness of what is to come! Yes, the Sunday victory has been won, but the fullness is not yet known. We cling to God's promise of a better place where we will cry no more and never again be hurt. We live in this truth:

Sunday is coming!

I am grateful to know and experience friendship of other who are walking through their Saturday. May we always love each other where we are and encourage each other to move forward through our pain to experience tastes of heaven on earth.