It Ends Here

There’s an old cliche` that goes, “The buck stops here.” I’m not quite sure if the buck is a deer or a dollar. Whatever it is, it stops here. Right here in this spot, the buck stops. For me, the proverbial buck was the mental and emotional abuse that I suffered for way too long. All the depression, intimidation, and past hurtful words spoken over me throughout my life stopped the night God healed me.

To be quite honest, I think the Yield sign had been put out a week earlier when I made the decision that I wasn’t going to go through any of that anymore and decided I wanted my mind healed. Though I made the decision, the healing didn’t happen until I actually walked to the front of my church and requested prayer and healing and admitted what I wanted healed from. That’s when it ended right then and there.

Many people suffer depression and intimidation. They deal with anxiety, panic disorder, fear, and many other things associated with emotional and mental issues. It doesn’t mean that they are crazy. It just means that somewhere in their lives they were verbally abused by someone, or several someone’s and it affected them strongly.

It may have started when you were a child. A parent, grandparent, teacher, or someone you knew said something to you that was hurtful. Many people use cutting remarks and pass them off as jokes. It might be funny to them, it may be funny to you the first time. But when it continues over time, and when it is used to control you, it’s no longer funny or a joke. It’s abuse. Whether it was an insult, a cutting remark, a derogatory statement, something that belittled you or made you feel uncomfortable or less than, the words of those we love can and do cause lifelong damage. I know. I lived it.

You don’t have to live with it any longer. It ends here. By making the decision to stop the abuse in general and from continuing, you are taking steps to make your life better. But you have to make the decision. For me, I had no idea how to make it stop. I didn’t know how to make people stop saying things to me. I also didn’t know how to make the words in my head stop. I knew that God wanted to heal me, yet I didn’t know how to ask Him. However, I knew enough to go to prayer warriors at church for help.

Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. ~James 5:14 (NLT)

Getting to the point where you know that you can’t continue in the suffering is a big step. Going to someone who you know can help you is life-changing. God wants to heal you. He’s simply waiting for you to decide and take the first step. Once healed, you can begin a new life and can also help someone else find the healing you did.

Since being healed, I now stand at the front of my church each week and offer to pray for others. I love to help people find hope and healing from whatever it is making them suffer.

You can decide today that no matter what has been spoken over you, for however long it’s been spoken, the intimidation, verbal abuse, insults, doctor’s reports, test results, all of it ends here. It’s up to you.

Shelley Wilburn

Shelley Wilburn has been writing since the age of twelve. She loves stories and adventures, and often finds herself getting into mischief with any one of her six grandchildren. She has written several articles and devotionals over the years for various newspapers, women's magazines, and newsletters. She has also co-authored devotionals. Shelley began writing full-time in 2012 after being healed of over 40 years of depression and anxiety. Using her love of writing, and wearing mismatched socks, Shelley has developed a unique ministry of encouraging others using biblical truths and stories from her own personal life. When not writing, you can find Shelley and her husband of over 30 years, D.A. zipping down the road in their newest adventure-maker, a bright orange, Mustang convertible Shelley has laughingly dubbed The Pony.