5 Powerful Keys for Every Childhood Trauma and Abuse Survivor
Key 5-Renew
This article is the fifth and last in the series entitled, “ 5 Powerful Keys for Every Childhood Trauma and Abuse Survivor.”
Last article I discussed Key #4 -Recover in the Bridge to Breakthroughs program. I shared how to recover what seemed lost because of your trauma and/or abuse. In this final article of the series, I am going to share what Key 5-Renew means and how to implement this key on your journey to living the peaceful, playful, purposeful life God wants for you.
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. ~Psalm 37:4
This verse from Psalm 37 sums up the message of this series on overcoming abuse and discovering joy. God tells us to “delight” In Him and that is exactly what the keys on the Bridge to Breakthroughs help trauma and abuse survivors do…delight in God and start receiving the desires of their hearts for a safe, hopeful, and joyful life free from the pain of a past that wasn’t their fault.
That being said, let’s look at what “renew” means. Webster’s dictionary defines renew as “resuming an activity after an interruption.” No doubt, when you are abused, your true self becomes interrupted and seemingly lost. All your energy goes into surviving not thriving. In other words, thriving gets interrupted and surviving stays in place instead. Key 5 changes that.
Key 5- Renew helps you get to know and be your true self as a child of God.
Renewing is about being who you truly are after having had that part of you be paused and seemingly taken from you. This key focuses on the spirit part of you. After all, you cannot be whole if you do not acknowledge and nurture all parts of you-body, mind, and spirit. This is the spirit key so to speak.
It’s important to note that having lived in survival mode for so long, getting to know your spirit/true self will feel so freeing! You might even think to yourself, “I knew this ‘me’ was in me somewhere. I knew this is who I really am.” It’s equally important to note that to others, you might seem unrecognizable as you make changes in your life. However, you’ll be in good company considering that Jesus’ disciples did not even recognize him after His resurrection AKA renewal. 😊
So how do you go about implementing this last Key?
You build and nurture the relationship with all of you which you have been doing using Keys 1-4. You continue to be in your body and transform your mind AND now also get to know all of you by getting to know your spirit-made in God’s Image and Likeness. When you “delight in the Lord,” you will begin to delight in yourself as His child more and more. Even better, the more you “delight in the Lord” the less often you will feel as though you have lost yourself.
So, what does it mean to “delight in the Lord?”
It means to nurture a relationship with Him. When you can think about your relationship with God just like you would any other relationship, having one with Him doesn’t seem so intangible.
Think about it, when you get to know and really pay attention to someone and intentionally care for that relationship, you might listen to stories about that person from people in his or her life, you might look at old pictures of them when they were younger. You would also most likely spend time alone with that person, walking on the beach, talking on the phone, going to sports or fun events, etc.
It’s the same with God. Delighting in Him means spending time getting to not just know Him but experience Him and His unconditional love that transforms shame and heals your pain. Hence, renewing you mind, body and spirit. The more you know God, the more you will know and be you-His fearfully wonderfully made child!
The cool thing about this fifth Key-Renew is that it is something that can be done repeatedly by going back to Key 1 and using the Keys in succession when you feel as though you have been interrupted by anxiety, self-doubt, fear, etc. As human beings we all need renewal every so often.
When you sense that you need renewing here’s a few ideas to try:
- Open your bible and read what God says about who He is and who you are.
- Make a chart with God on one side and you on the other. List God’s qualities and attributes and then list examples of how you have those same qualities.
- Spend time getting to know the Holy Spirit. Read about Him in your bible. Ask for His gifts.
- Go back to Keys 1-4 to self-regulate and rest.
- When you feel triggered put on your “crown” as a daughter of the King and remind yourself of Whose you are.
Many times, survivors of trauma and abuse assume that the healing will be as horrible as the abuse. No doubt recognizing the pain of being hurt feels very sad, however, the entire healing journey can be one of finally feeling seen, safe, and supported. Which, in turn, allows for you to recover what seems lost and renew your true self as God’s child.
By practicing using the Keys on the Bridge to Breakthroughs you will automatically, release the old and renew the true!
Links to the previous Keys: Key #1 Recognize. Key #2, Relate. Key #3, Rest.
For more information on The Bridge to Breakthroughs and overcoming abuse and discovering joy, visit Gina’s website at https://www.ginarolkowski.com or follow her on Instagram or Pinterest @GinaRolkowski
