Child of God Part II

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.” Galatians 3:26 (NIV)

 You are not a label.  I have been labeled many things over the 9 years since I started remembering my sexual assaults. I went through a year of tests and finally my doctor suggested I see a counselor.

My reaction, since I was naive at the time about counseling, was “Who me?  See a counselor?  I don’t need that kind of help.  I’m not crazy.”  I was like so many people I have encountered since that time who do not understand mental illness or therapy. I had labeled people that see counselors.

Now I know counseling is for anyone. It means you are wise enough to realize you need someone with professional skills to guide you in your time of emotional need. If you have cancer you go see a doctor and get their advice and assistance on treatments to help you. It is no different if you have an emotional need. You seek a professional.

I agreed to see someone. It was an emotional issue and I needed help. However, it was just the beginning. Soon, I also had a psychiatrist. Another person I had labeled. It took me years to not be embarrassed by this issue. Because of labels.

The labels I received.  The patient of a psychiatrist, and a regular at my therapist. Major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety disorder (AD), and complex PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). I felt like alphabet soup. For years I walked around with these labels on me. I let them define me.

As God so lovingly reminded me recently there is only one label that truly defines me. Only one label that truly counts. I am a child of God. Period. The End.

 No matter where you are in your recovery from sexual assault, remember, you are not what others think of you. You are not crazy, or a medical or psychiatric term. You are a child of God.

 Father God,

For so long I have worn labels and allowed others to define me. I have walked around thinking I am nothing but what I was told I was supposed to be. Help me realize that I am not a label. I am not a term. I am Yours. Show me the freedom of walking as a child of God.  

Amen

© 2017 Susan M. Clabaugh. All Rights Reserved.    Photo by Karl Fredrickson on Unsplash