Looking back at my own childhood, I often say that I was not raised but erased. I endured physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as neglect. By law, I became a man at 18, yet I was still grappling with the traumas of my youth. At an age when I should have been embracing adulthood, I was dealing with the lingering shadows of my past abuses. My father, who passed away at 82 when I was 39 in 2009, never had a meaningful conversation with me. His method of ‘raising’ me involved severe physical punishment, often tying me up, stripping me naked, and administering beatings that could last for half a day. We lived in a ‘face-me-I-face-you’ apartment where everyone minded their own business, except for indulging in gossip. So, nobody cared enough to come for me, or maybe they didn’t realize there was any need to. At six, I was sexually molested, and my childhood, synonymous with innocence for many, was marred by trauma. The emotional abuse I endured was boundless. I lived under a siege of constant fear and intimidation, chastised for everything my parents and other handlers claimed I did wrong, and never acknowledged or commended for anything I did right. I concluded that I simply couldn’t do anything right.
But for the intervention of Christ in 1997, I doubt I would be the man I am today. Since February 16, 1997, I have been under reconstruction—a work in progress. Whether this work will ever be completed in a lifetime is another discussion, but my testimony is clear: I am far better today than the man my childhood prepared me to be, though I am not yet all of the man I desire to be. I work daily, knowing firsthand that the struggles inflicted by a mismanaged childhood are real, but His strength is made perfect in my myriad weaknesses.
This journey is my greatest motivation as I train my son alongside his mother and work with leaders, understanding the anger and pain that an abusive childhood…
SurvivorStory #EmotionalHealing #BreakingTheCycle #ChildAbuseAwareness #Resilience #HealingJourney #FaithAndStrength #OvercomingTrauma #ParentingWithLove #Advocacy
