Allow Me to Serve Others

Father,

Allow me to serve others with gladness—

Without keeping score,

Always giving, never expecting to receive.

Allow me to give of myself,

To give of my talents and of my goods,

To give of my time and of my energy,

To give of my heart and of my soul.

Help me understand the needs of others,

Never criticizing,

Never demeaning,

Never scolding,

Never condemning.

You have been so gracious to me,

Always Loving,

Always forgiving,

Always restoring—

Never chastising me for failing,

Even though I have been misguided

More times than I have not.

Father, keep a condemning spirit

Far from my heart and further from my lips.

Allow me to serve others with gentleness,

With compassion and tenderness,

Never diminishing the value of another.

Let me extend mercy to the brokenhearted,

Just as You have extended it to me.

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God Has Allowed You to Be Abused for a Reason

Refer to STEP 6: I make a commitment to turn away from my pride and refuse to become like those who have abused me. I abandon my desire to spread malice because of my pain and anger, and I chose to relinquish my right to be self-absorbed.

Here is a question for you: Who does the Kingdom of God belong to?

This isn’t rhetorical. Understanding this is the key to your recovery, and you’ll flounder until you not only know the answer but understand it, as well.

Here is the answer: It belongs to the poor in spirit—to people who don’t think more highly of themselves than they should. It belongs to paupers. The politically correct term for it would be “the homeless.” God’s Kingdom—the only place that really counts—does not belong to those who are beautiful, successful, and rich. It belongs to those who are broken—to those who have been crushed, discarded, and cast aside. It belongs to those who the more affluent consider to be expendable and useless.

When you first experienced your abuse, isn’t that how you felt—broken, humiliated, and discarded? Even if your abusive experience was some time ago, does this description still fit you occasionally?

If so, then the Kingdom of God belongs to you. Or, more accurately, it can belong to you. Your experience has probably left you spiritually bankrupt, which is good. It means you’re half way there, but that’s all—half way.

In some ways, it’s the most difficult half. Having been abused and shattered, you know what it’s like to have your spirit broken. The hard part is realizing that this was a good thing—not a bad thing. It allows you to recognize suffering in others. It allows you to be less self-centered and more interested in others. By having experienced abuse, you can develop empathy and compassion for others, which are character qualities woefully lacking in most modern day Christians.

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