This last year this has been my prayer “Lord, BREAK my heart for what BREAKS Yours.” And this last year i’ve cried more than i ever have. Ministering to the Juvenile Hall youth, with the prostitutes/drug dealers/run aways in Hollywood, & just seeing hurt/suffering people everywhere i go.As my team & i minister in Goachupita i see physical & verbal abuse everywhere. I see parents brutally beating their kids & i see kids as young as 3yrs old punching other kids with angry faces & clenched fists. Everyday i have to break up about 30 fights between children & it breaks my heart. The things that these small precious kids have seen & gone through…no child should go through. I’m praying to fight this injustice in Goachupita, America & around the world. One boy named Alexander, who is about 3-4 yrs old, has one eye bigger than the other because his mother punched him in the face. These kids think that kicking & beating each other is normal & acceptable because it is what was modeled to them. This cycle of abuse needs to stop here, with this generation!We are teaching them what it means to be peace makers & to love one another.Everytime i break up a fight i show them alternative ways to resolve their issues/conflicts without getting physical.
As some of you know, i myself have been through verbal, emotional & physical abuse in the past & it is traumatic & destructive. God has healed me of the pain & bitterness that i once held towards the abuser but i can relate to the trail of emotional pain it causes. When i was 23 yrs old i was in an abusive relationship for almost 2yrs. The man who abused me was abused growing up. The man who abused him had also been abused as a child, & their parents abused them. Since i have been through this hurt, i can now share my testimony of it & minister to men/women who have been through it or are going through it right now. I thank God that He has strengthened me through it & rescued me from it, many times. This injustice goes on behind closed doors, more than we know. Only the love of God can break these chains.
This generational curse & cycle of abuse needs to stop.Many of us have been through emotional abuse/verbal abuse…or have been the abusers.I stand guilty of this.There are times when my words tore someone down & i had to ask them for forgiveness & also forgiveness from God. So i am not innocent of this. With our words we have the choice to build someone up or tear someone down. Every nation in this world suffers from abuse, whether its sexual,physical,emotional,verbal….and i beg & plead for you to join me in prayer against this cycle.God calls us to love Him & love our neighbors as ourselves. Those are the 2 greatest commandments.Everything else falls under that. As hard as it was, in God’s strength, i HAD to forgive those who have hurt me.If i didnt i would still be holding bitterness inside me & that destroys your soul. God has forgiven me of my sin so i am called to forgive others.Forgiving that person who abused me doesnt EXCUSE them from what they did…but it FREES me.So i challenge you also…if there is any bitterness in you towards someone who has abused/hurt you, please give it to God & forgive them.He will deal with them & hold them accountable for their actions. Thank you Jesus for taking OUR place on the Cross & for PAYING for our sins, so that we could be free if we place our trust & faith in You.Thank you for raising from the dead & defeating SIN & DEATH. It’S NOT about religion or doing “religious” things to earn God’s approval. It’s about a relationship with God who created us & desires a close intimate daily encounter with us. The Bible says that God grieves when we grieve.His heart breaks when kids/adults are abused/hurt/suffer. Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Is your spirit crushed today? Fix your eyes upon Him, for He is the Ultimate Healer,Physician & Counselor. 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety upon Him because He cares for you.”
This is Alexander, the boy who lives in an abusive home & has the eye injury.One eye is about 3x bigger than the other. Please pray for healing for him.He is one of the most violent kids in the group, due to what he has seen & experienced.Please pray that God will soften his little heart & that the few weeks my team & i get to love on him will make a difference.Thanks for reading. Love Michelle
