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"Self Harm " Self harm, like a lot of specific issues (drugs, for example), has no direct quotations that refer to it but the thoughts, feelings and motivations are dealt with in the Bible. Some people find it hard to say why they want to self-harm but most will acknowledge that it has something to do with their self worth and the way they view themselves and think others view them. So first up, let's get a few things straight - like how God sees you! God thinks you are so fantastic that He wants to spend His time writing love songs about you: "(God) will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song" (Zephaniah 3 v 17) He has taken time thinking about how you are going to look and making you exactly the way He wants you! "Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous - and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." (Psalm 139 v 14-16) We are precious to God, and we know that in everything we do and everything we go through in life, Jesus has had a similar experience, or has been tempted to do the same things so He knows how you are feeling. "(Jesus Christ) understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin." (Hebrews 4 v 15) But there is more encouragement. God has promised that in all that we go through, He will always give us a way out with Him, and that we will never have to go through anything we cannot handle together with Him. "The temptations that come into life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." (1 Corinthians 10 v 13) The Bible tells us to look at the way we live, and the things that we do, and if they don't match up to Gods way, then we need to get back to thinking along God's lines "Search me O God and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life" (Psalm 139 v 23-24) "Let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn again in repentance to the Lord." (Lamentations 3 v 40) One last verse that may help in your whole situation: "Live the way God wants, draw near to God and he will draw near to you." (James 4 v 7-8) Sometimes, though, self-harm can be tempting because life seems pointless, the weight of the world just seems too much to carry and it can be very hard to even consider seeking God. We all feel like this from time to time. Far from God, I mean. And from my experience, even "sorted" Christians feel this at some point or another. What's more, God knows this. He knows it's going to happen, so he put verses in the Bible to tell us what to do when it does! In fact, there is a guy called Asaph who wrote a whole Psalm about it! Psalm 77. The first 9 verses are him feeling this way, and then he says 'Hang on, I know, I'll remember all the good things God has done, all the things that must have been God, no one else could have done them.' "Do not forget the things I have done throughout history. For I am God - I alone! I am God and there is no one else like me!" (Isaiah 46 v 9) Your life is not a waste, because God is real! Hang on to the truths that you know, from not only the Bible, but from your own life too. I firmly believe that God brings people into our lives at just the right times to support us through difficult 'terrain'. In addition, you only have to look at what God sent his son, Jesus, to do to know that he wants to help us and save us from pain and suffering. Even God, with his own words, has promised never to leave us or forget about us! "For God has said 'I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.'" (Hebrw. 13 v 5) |
