Sharon Martin
Personal Testimony
I was born into a large dysfunctional family where I was abused physically, mentally and emotionally. However, I think it’s more important to tell you about how the abuse has affected me and about what Jesus has done in my life versus the details of being abused child. As a result of my childhood, I grew up with no self esteem or confidence in myself. We were taken to church on occasion but the Bible was not read in our home and Jesus was never discussed. We were taught very little about Jesus loving us. In church back then, you were taught more about going to hell than about God’s love for us. As I grew up, I always believed in Jesus but never felt close to Him and never really thought of Him being close to me because I struggled just to survive.
If not for a loving husband and a loving family, I don’t know where I would be today. There were many times in my life that I felt I could not go on except for my family and the love I have for them.
As my children grew up, they were in church and I began going to church more also. I began to want to know more about Jesus and His love. I began to believe that Jesus did love me and I wanted to love Jesus back but I wasn’t sure how. It was hard breaking free from all the bondage of my childhood, breaking free of the belief that I was unlovable, fat and dumb.
A couple of years ago, I took a 12-unit study called “Making Peace with Your Past” through the counseling that is available here at Wayne Hills. I began to realize through this study that I was in bondage from my childhood and unable to live a full, happy life because I felt I didn’t deserve it. I was still in that childhood mode of thinking and I was living in the bondage of sin. Jesus wants us to have a full and happy life in and through Him. I learned to accept God’s love for me. I learned you don’t have to be perfect for God to love you. I learned that we are all sinners and fall short of the glory which we have with Jesus. I learned that Jesus is forgiving and loving us through it all if we only believe in Him and give our lives to Him.
Each week in this study we learned memory verses
and the first one I learned and still hold onto. It is
I know that I made some bad choices and decisions for my life because of my childhood but I know that I am free of those because of God’s love and forgiveness. I am no longer in that bondage. I can have a full, happy life because I’m worthy of God’s love. I’ve learned that God is in control and I’m going to let Him be in control because through Jesus Christ I am clean in God’s sight. I have also released my fears to Jesus and claim the joy of being God’s child.
I also realized that most of my life I viewed myself as a victim and couldn’t seem to get past that until this study. Now I know that I am a child of the King. I know that I am free of the past and can live for Jesus. I want to live my life by leaving all I have and all I am at the feet of Jesus. I pray that others would also have the peace that knowing Jesus brings.
I would like to finish with
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