April is a person who is often described as sweet, giving, thoughtful and very affectionate. She is the kind of person that most would love to have as a daughter. She was raised up in church and taught to, not only, honor her parents but to also expect to receive godly love and support from them. At some point, however, she noticed a difference in the way she was being treated in comparison to her other siblings. Her mother, who was the guilty party, (as April stated), said, “I’m going to be harder on you because you can take more than your sister.” Afterwards, April began to suffer both physical and extensive emotional abuse. This abuse continued towards April even as a young adult. In fact, among other things, she sought to ruin her reputation among relatives and friends and even tried to get April fired from her job.
After years of this abuse, this left April, as she described it, feeling bitter, depressed and resentful of her siblings who were treated better. She also developed hatred of her mother and a certain level of disappointment with herself. During this period she often cried out saying, “No one cares, loves or listens to me.” These experiences led her to doing some things that she was not proud of, in order to possess what she thought was genuine love and affection. She also engaged in activities, that she later understood to be non-productive, to disprove the rumors that her mother had been spreading about her. Betrayal is defined as being unfaithful in maintaining, guarding or fulfilling certain responsibilities. April felt betrayed by her mother because she expected love and support, but instead, received exploitation and abuse.
April, however, found refuge and support through the love and counseling of Sr. Pastor Darrin and Co-Pastor Annette Phelps of DAP Ministries. Being made aware of the negativity and destructiveness of her actions and at the same time being tired of the feelings of anger, depression and the weight of betrayal, she decided to turn to God in a way that she had not done before; striving to forgive the one who hurt her while receiving God’s power to move forward. God in turn did what he said he would do if a parent forsakes you; “he took her up.” In other words, God delivered her from the pain associated with her betrayal and turned it into a blessing. April is now, through God’s great power, genuinely happy and free from hatred, bitterness and the like. She is also on the verge obtaining a bachelors degree, has a great relationship with her siblings and because of the joy that God has given her, now feels as attractive, both inwardly and outwardly; as those who know her have often expressed. Most importantly, however, she is serving the Lord faithfully, in a number of ways, with great joy; including her church’s music ministry, as she strives to be the virtuous woman that God has destined her to be. She now declares, as she plays her musical instrument, “He has turned my betrayal into a blessing.”
God according to the bible is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Therefore, if you have experienced betrayal from relatives, friends, people you trusted in some way, even a spouse, let me encourage you to turn your pain and problems over to God. Turn it over fully, because what God did for April, he will without hesitation, do for you; that you may live a happy, fruitful and blessed life.
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Heavenly Father we thank you for your tremendous love. From the bible, we realize that there are parents, who for a number of reasons, may act in ways that are destructive towards their children. This activity, will often times, leave their offspring with scars that run deep; which in many cases lead to disruptive and even destructive behavior. Nevertheless, you tell us that even when those who are closest to us; including family or friends, betray us that you will step in and help us. Help us, we pray, during seasons of betrayal not forget to look to you and place our trust in you; that you may indeed honor your word and turn our betrayal into a blessing; that we might experience, not hurt, but the happiness that you have promised us, in Jesus name. Amen.
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