BREAKING FREE

Now that I have dealt with all the abuse I endured, I am completely free from self-harm and I have no desire to go back! I know I am important and valuable to God, and that is priceless to me!—Rochelle

You might be thinking, Okay, I see some of the possible roots of self-harm in my life, but how do I deal with these things? God sees your pain and will meet you where you are. He is the only one who can touch your heart so deeply that your life can change.

The Bible tells us to go after what we need and never to give up in our pursuit for positive change. Luke 11:9 says, “Here’s what I’m saying: ask and you’ll get; seek and you’ll find; knock and the door will open” (msg). Bring all your questions to God, and He will lead you to the answers. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own” (msg). God wants to help you. He created you and loves you unconditionally. He sees the pain inside that you are trying to release or express through abusing yourself. God has already paid the price for your sin. He sent His only Son, Jesus, to the cross as the ultimate sacrifice so that you would not have to bear the punishment we all deserve for our sins. When Jesus died, His blood cleansed and wiped away every sin you have committed or ever will commit. Jesus did not come to condemn you but to help you find freedom.

Your blood has no power, which is why self-harm is not the answer to your problems. In fact, harming yourself and believing that it is your responsibility to punish yourself is actually denying and rejecting the freedom Jesus offers you. It’s like saying that the agony and torture Jesus went through on the cross was not enough.

Let’s look at what can happen when you accept, rather than reject, the power of Jesus’ shed blood.

(Excerpt taken from Chapter 2 of CUT: Mercy for Self-Harm)