The Battles Within

The biggest battles a person who has suffered through abuse will ever fight are the battles that rage within. Those endless questions that plague victims of abuse can literally suck the life right out of them. What did I do to deserve this? Why did this happen to me? I’m not a bad person, am I? What if it happens again? Why couldn’t I defend myself? If there is a God, why did he let this happen? This doesn’t happen to normal people, does it?

We have to realize the first thing that must be rebuilt is self-esteem and we win these inner battles by realizing the abuse is over. We arm ourselves with knowledge, get the help we need without feeling ashamed of that need, and we love ourselves again. It is not required that others love and/or respect us for us to love and respect ourselves. Bad things happen to undeserving people all the time. Everything is not something we can control, but we can control how much of our life is affected by the stuff that enters it.

Be strong and know that you have the power to win any battle you face. You’ve survived the abuse. Now, conquer it!

Lacresha Hayes is the author of bestseller, The Rape of Innocence: Taking Captivity Captive. She is also a consultant to churches and businesses, as well as a grant writer. She works tirelessly with victims of sexual and physical abuse and is a speaker on the RAINN Speaker’s bureau.

For more information, visit her website,http://lacreshatheauthor.weebly.com