I'm bringing Xanga back - drop a comment if you're with me!

I definately liked this article. Considering I used to suffer with the same issue, it's comforting to see this. Another person who got out of it with the help of the Lord. It's uplifting in itself. Here's the link if you want to see where I got it from. Got it from a local Nazarene churches youth group website in Oroville. \o/ Giving Christ Our Wounds \o/

 †GIVING CHRIST OUR WOUNDS†
Self-Mutilation: Why kids do it and how to get free from it

By: Brooklyn E. Lindsey

Kasey sat on the couch in my office. With tears in her eyes she told me why she began cutting herself with razors. She started cutting in an attempt to make the painful feelings in her life go away. One cut led to another and soon she needed to cut herself more and more. “It would make the problems in my life go away, but then they would always come back.” Like Kasey, there are many teenagers who begin harming themselves to feel better. What she found out was that it didn’t make her better. Cutting only made her worse. As Kasey’s youth pastor, I learned and grew with her and we discovered some things that helped her break free from the bondage of self-mutilation. Here you’ll find some of the things we’ve learned together.

Self-injurers find it hard to deal with their feelings. Most young people who begin injuring themselves start during some type of crisis or overwhelming feelings of loss, rejection, or inadequacy. For Kasey, it was her parent’s turbulent relationship that always left her feeling rejected and stressed. Dating, school, and problems with friends only added to the mounting tension. If you find yourself feeling helpless and are tempted to hurt yourself please understand that you are not alone and there is healing available to you. 

WHAT DO I DO NOW?

If you struggle with self-injury, tell someone. Cutting is a type of behavior that can easily turn into an addiction that is life threatening. Telling a parent, guardian, youth pastor, or friend might be uncomfortable, but it’s important to get connected with someone who can listen to you and assist you in finding help.

Be open to counseling. Professionals are trained in helping people. There are programs that will allow you to discover what is triggering your behavior and offer safe alternatives.

Get involved in something you love. Find something you truly enjoy doing and pour some of your energy into it for a natural and healthy release of tension. For example, keeping a journal is an excellent habit that allows a person to express emotions openly and honestly without the fear of people being criticized or rejected. There are many alternatives like this one that can help weaken the overwhelming emotions and give you added joy and fulfillment in your life.

And lastly, remember God’s great love for you. Prayer and Bible reading will add to the reservoir of God’s love filling your soul. When you are empty you will be more likely to resort to harmful behavior. When you have God’s Word and the Holy Spirit working in your life it becomes easier to trust that God is able to heal and sustain you through the weakest moments.

Kasey unlocked the key to healing when she invited Jesus into her past and present life experiences. We met at an altar where she gave her life to God. It was spiritual decision. She gave her wounds, inside and out, to Jesus. Kasey reminds us all of the most important step to recovery, surrender.

May the God of peace guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus as you seek healing and wholeness for your body, mind and soul.

Additional Resources:

1. Call 1-800 DON’T- CUT (800-366-8288) for immediate help and information.

2. www.teenshealth.org : (great article for how to help a friend addicted to cutting)

3. www.palace.net : definitions, causes, demographics, and treatment options for SI

4. www.coolnurse.com : help for eating disorders, self-injury, depression, suicidal thoughts, message board and links.

Recommended Reading:

Reviving Ophelia:
Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls.
Mary Pipher

(The majority of people who self-injure are young women between the ages of 13 and 30.)


††† Here's a daily prayer for strength, if this is you: “Beloved One, thank you for calling me into being and holding me in your love. Help me to feel how preciously I am knitted to you. Make ma aware of the knot of love that ties you to me, so that I may courageously do your will.”
          – Julian of Norwich

I miss the long walks we shared. I miss laying on the grass at the dam holding you close. I miss our sentimental talks. I miss the hugs. I miss your soft kisses. I miss our intimate times. I miss holding you close. I miss snuggling close to you watching a movie. I miss when you'd hold me and whisper sweetly in my ear. I miss your beautiful, sensitive side. I miss making up after a fight. I miss going to church together and having the sermon match how we're feeling about things. I miss holding your hand driving whereever. I miss not having you to share with others. I miss sharing my breaks with you at work. I miss when you'd know exactly when I'd need a hug or a back massage. I still close my eyes and see your face. I dream of you almost nightly still. I miss the moments we shared at the park. I miss the way you'd play with my hair, or rub my back until I'd fall asleep. I miss most of all the way that you loved me. I hear songs on the radio, or see couples together and it breaks my heart into a gazillion pieces. I think of every moment I've shared with you and miss you ever so much. I miss the sweet pet names. I miss the way the world stops when you'd hold me. I miss the moments when I was in pain and you'd be right there by my side. I miss your voice. I miss your gentle touch. I miss telling you that I love you everyday. I miss it when Jazmin would come cuddle with us, and always had to be in the middle. I see her everyday and I don't feel whole. You're missing. I want us again. I want to hold you close and start over again. I want a fresh start. I love our little love lines. You know what that is. I love you. x2. etc, etc. I miss watching the stars with you. I miss cuddling up in blankets laying in your arms at the dam and in the back of the suburban. I miss your smile. I even miss your play frown. I miss your eyes. Oh, your beautiful eyes. I miss how you didn't care what I looked like or how I dressed. You loved me unconditionally. I miss that. I miss dreaming about our future with you. I hate myself for leaving you. For making you leave me. I hate myself for pushing you away. I miss stopping at our spot and seeing our star. I hate being alone. I honestly miss you more than I have any other person and love you so much more. We were deeper than any relationship I've ever been in. We had so many memories and I wish we could make this work and make many more. I miss our daily morning trips to McDonalds for hashbrowns and egg mcmuffins. I'm sorry for treating you the way that I did. I'm sorry for leaving the way I did. I'm sorry for the arguements. I'm sorry for the fights and the anger, the words and mostly for the shed tears you and I both shed. I'm sorry for being so selfish. I'm sorry for ruining hopefully what I hope isn't our last chance for love. I'd do anything just to see and hold you again. I miss you, and love you so much more. If only you knew.. *sigh*