God has given us the capacity to turn difficult situations around. Author Marilynn Warner Arkerson truly believes that when something bad happens, He will make something good out of it. Her experience of childhood sexual abuse at an early age, and waiting until she was almost eight years old to confide in someone, changed who she was.
Unfortunately, she does not know if that person ever told anyone else, especially her parents. Growing up in the 1940s, she grew up in a time of sweeping things under the rug. She was not allowed to talk about such things; it would have been a family disgrace. When we carry these secrets with us, it affects our relationships and our ability to cope with the smallest of discord. Everything bad that happens in our presence is our fault, and friendships are destroyed.
This book has been Arkerson's freedom. She still has issues to deal with and more forgiveness to experience, but she is on the right tract and God is on the same track with her. She urges anyone who is harboring something bad that has happened to them to tell someone. Go to your doctor; start with him or her. Go to your favorite teacher or supervisor at work. Seek treatment, and most of all practice forgiveness. It takes a while, but it will happen and it will free you!
Your days become much more peaceful. You become more understanding and patient. You start to feel the joy in your heart, and you are willing to help others overcome their demons. Life becomes exactly what God has planned for you. Please read Psalm 139 in the Holy Bible. If you do not have a Bible, borrow one from a friend or walk into any church, no matter what denomination. That is what Arkerson lives by, and she reads it almost every day. It will help you to understand that you are a very special person molded by our maker, God in heaven!
