Maybe quoting Psalm 27:10 here does not exactly apply to my situation, but it can offer hope. It says, “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.”
It seems that psychological abuse, also called emotional or mental abuse is difficult to define. Several websites mentioned this difficulty and were often referring to this abuse in adult relationships. One site mentioned that it can involve attempts to frighten, control, or isolate. Preventchildabuse.org stated that psychological abuse of children can include terrorizing a child, frightening them, or bullying them. In some cases, it can be said to dehumanize a child.
So, how does this apply to me and my young childhood? Although I only remember one really bad spanking that likely crossed the line, apparently, I suffered emotional or psychological abuse in the years too early for me to remember. My mother shared stories with me when I was older of times when my dad would hold me upside down by my feet at the top of a staircase just to frighten me. On other occasions when car trips took us to lookouts and vistas, he would pick me up and pretend like he was going to throw me over the edge. I don’t remember these occasions. It seemed though that my terrified cries for mercy strangely appealed to a part of my father’s own tortured soul, a soul that had been psychologically abused by his own mother.
Despite the occasions to instill deep-seated fears in my young life, I soon had the chance to grasp hold of hope, security, and confidence. As a six-year-old, latchkey kid, I met and fell in love with Jesus simply because I learned through a child’s song that He loved me. Jesus initially met my needs for security and companionship and later delved into my spirit’s need for cleansing and salvation.
Over the years, I’ve grown in confidence through my long relationship with Jesus and through the many dangerous and scary events and seasons that we faced together. So, how does Psalm 27:10 apply to my life? I was not physically forsaken by my parents, but I was emotionally left an orphan due to fear, insecurity, and loneliness. It was in that lonely apartment as a child that the LORD Himself stepped into my life to parent me and pick up the missing pieces in my development. In hindsight, I can only be grateful for His intervention. He saved me from becoming a statistic. He gave me hope and direction and guided my early education to lead me to the hope for a secure future.
“When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.” Psalm 27:10
