Relationship Challenge: Breaking Our Trust in God

by Les Palmer, Celebrate Recovery

God is the ultimate authority figure. However, when someone feels betrayed by another person in an authority role, it can be easy to transfer the sense of betrayal to God, which impacts the person’s walk with the Lord. The next time you are in a worship service, take a moment and look at the people around you. Studies indicate that 25% of women and 15% of men are sexually assaulted before the age of 18. Yet, these things are rarely discussed in a religious setting and the shame and guilt associated with these types of abuse can become debilitating. We try to push it out of our minds and pretend we are okay, but we aren’t!

Abuse takes many forms. The example above highlights sexual abuse, but there is also physical, emotional, and mental abuse. Any form of abuse corrupts our sense of need and the relationship between abuse and chemical dependency is widely acknowledged. That is not to say that everyone who abuses chemicals have been abused themselves, but there is a correlation. Abuse robs us of our confidence and sense of self-worth, it colors our world, and it can make us hesitant about taking risks in our lives. Ultimately, it can cause us to detour from the plan that God has placed before us.

Perhaps a traditional church setting is not the proper place to address these hurts. But if someone wants to have a deep trust in God in order to find peace in their salvation, then these hurts must be addressed in a religious environment. Those of us who have experienced abuse need to come to terms with the damage that was done to our spirits. We need to emotionally “know” it was not our fault or that whatever behavior that was forced on us was not a punishment from God. It is not enough to be told of God’s agape love; we must experience it through the acceptance of others who share our experiences. And we learn to trust God by trusting others (1 John 4:20) because true love cannot exist in an atmosphere of distrust.

Isaiah 61:1 says, “He came to heal the brokenhearted....to free the captives.” We do not have to held “captive” by the acts of others. Celebrate Recovery is tailored specifically to heal broken hearts. If you would like someone to walk beside you in this challenge, please contact us today.

Celebrate Recovery is a 12-step faith-based program that helps individuals heal from a variety of hurts, hang-ups and habits. We do it in an atmosphere of acceptance and without judgement. Celebrate Recovery meets every Thursday night, beginning at 6 p.m. at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri.