Last month, we talked about adversaries that can hurt us. This month, we’ll look at some things that are not our enemies.

First, here’s a basic truth that is often hard for us, as survivors, to accept: Our bodies are not our enemies. A good therapist can explain this concept better than I can, but please try to realize that sometimes—especially when our abuser is close to us, or highly respected by others in the community—it’s hard for a child to believe that an adult has done something so evil to us. So as children we may not see the abuser as our enemy, but in a way we feel our bodies have let us down and then our bodies become our enemies.

But now we’re adults. We can understand, at least in our minds, that our bodies did not betray us and we don’t have to punish them any longer; our bodies, with our minds and hearts and souls, are all part of our individual teams.

Will you join me in a simple prayer? I pray this for myself and for survivors everywhere: Dear Lord, please help me and help other survivors to know that our bodies are not our enemies. Teach us healthy self-respect and affection for ourselves, so that we will nurture and care for our bodies as Your beloved creation. Amen.

Photo by Storyzangu Hub on Unsplash.