Are you a victim or a gift?

There have been times in my life where I've felt so victimized, I didn't know what to do. The anxiety of being a single parent and falling prey to men who really didn't love me, finally took it's toll. For so long, I associated lust with love. Which now, I realize was a serious mistake.

It's taken me a long time to realize the alluring, beautiful, unique, special and extraordinary woman that I am. Isn't it funny, the acroynms also spell A.B.U.S.E? Unhealthy relationships and the need to be loved, sent me into a downward spiral of confusion and despair. When I looked in the mirror, I saw a broken woman who had spent too many years looking for love in all the wrong places.

Heck, I believed that I deserved men who were callous, mean and ungiving. Then a friend told me about unconditional love. How as a woman I was created as a "gift" to man. A gift is defined as: something voluntarily transferred to one person by another without compensation. But here's the best one yet: a special favor given by God.

Wow! That really blew my mind. God thinks of me as "special". Well thats funny, I didn't feel special. By the way, where was God when I was in those abusive and unhealthy relationships, I asked my friend. "He's where He's always been. Inside of you. Even though you can't see Him or touch Him. He's always there" He said.

You see, all though I was in the midst of despair and had come to the end of my rope. A still small voice spoke to me one day and said "I love you, but now you must learn to love yourself. You have to let go of your past anger, hurts, bitterness and resentment. It is crucial that you do this, in order for you to blossom into that beautiful woman, mother, companion and friend that I presented you as in the Garden that day. Everything created in the Garden of Eden was good. It was created for the benefit of man and he was assigned to take care of it.

"You were never created to be misused, mistreated, disrespected or beaten. You were presented to man as a "gift". Just as you expect your children to cherish and honor gifts you give to them. I expect "man" to cherish and honor you. Now you must let go of your pacifiers (hurts) and move towards the woman you were destined to be."

When you do, men will no longer smell the foul scent of brokeness and need. They will smell the scent of a strong woman who knows her responsibility as a "help meet". A woman who will push him to beyond his limits to meet his God giving potential" the still small voice said.

Who was the still small voice speaking to me? It was our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now, I realize that I am a gift. I am a "special" woman who deserves the best. No longer am I bound to my past. Being bound, allowed me to remain a victim. In this "present" day, I am a gift. A special gift who now has a voice for all the women of the world to hear.

So my question is: Are you a victim or a gift?