The Prison of Your Mind
Just because you are not in a prison with bars and walls doesn’t mean you are free.
Prison is also an attitude, a mentality about yourself, the inability to be free. True, I’ve never been held in a physical prison, but I wasted away most of my life in a prison of my attitudes, believes, & negative mentality. I’ve lived chained to my fears, griefs, regrets and memories. My soul had been wounded, not only by the darkness that I had allowed, but also the darkness that others had brought to me. Offenses, prejudices, misunderstandings, wounded pride; these had brought me to respond to people around me with more wounding.
My view of the world was, “I have to rely on myself,” and built walls for self-defense. I allowed trauma experiences in my life to drain me of the courage to reach towards the destiny & calling I had in God. I literally prayed just to be average, and just to blend in. My heart’s desire was to be mediocre; just good enough. I was incredibly sick, struggling with depression and negative thoughts. Even though I grew up in church, had many opportunities, and had a good GPA in school, I could never imagine myself being a success.
There is absolutely no difference in my mental attitude and thought processes as a food addict/bulimic and anorexic than someone who has been incarcerated, and struggled with more “serious” addictions.This was a humbling realization, but it gave me the foundation to start on the path to the real destiny intended for my life.Now, I work with people who may have experienced trauma or addiction, but most have a lack of identity like I did. They may have no idea how to treat themselves as if they have a destiny to pursue. Some have experienced incarceration, or powerful cravings, some have not. But that’s not our starting point. I often hear from people when they first meet me that they I assume I am a “church girl who’s never had a thing gone wrong in her life”. But then when I am able to share my story and the insights I have been gifted with, I want them to have HOPE. My struggles may not be the same as your struggles, but there is hope when we make THIS our starting point: there is a God, He is kind, and He is unafraid to align himself with us no matter our situation. It's because we each have a destiny to fulfill. And that starting point will give you the keys to set yourself free from the Prison in your Mind!