I always enjoy Five Minute Friday and the writing prompts provided by Lisa Jo.  Today’s word is: Release.

Ready?

Set?

Go!

There comes a time in your life where you have to stop holding things in.  To heal, it is necessary to reveal, to come clean, to admit your shortcomings and faults.  In doing so, you release the hold that it has over you.  For so long you’ve been a prisoner.  You have been locked inside your prison cell of your own making, suffering in silence, surrounded by lies.  You’ve been unable to progress, unable to heal, and unable to forgive.  In all of this, you’ve been unable to feel as well.  The pain was so great that you became numb, and yet, you held on to it so tightly, almost with all of your might.  Once you decided that enough was enough and you came clean with those around you … with the most important person being yourself … you slowly saw the binds that held you releasing you.  The chains of this addiction could hold you no longer.  You, yourself, held the key to release yourself from this self made prison, and you did it.  You faced your fears.   You took a good, hard look in the mirror and confessed.  You, then, took it further and confessed to those closest to you as well, and in doing so you are crushing the enemy.  The one that wants to keep you locked away forever in this hell, you’re saying, “No more!”   You, yourself, have taken away the power that it held on you.  You are fighting with everything in you to be a better person, to do the right thing, to come clean once and for all.  It takes a lot of strength to do what you’re doing.   Your determination does not go unnoticed.  You are fighting this with everything in you – fighting for your life, your marriage, your family, your dignity, your self worth, for your own self respect … and you are winning!   You have taken back the power that this addiction held over you.   It cannot harm you any more.   You are strong.  You are determined.  You are a fighter.  You are a survivor.  You have found such a sweet release from the prison that you’ve known for so long.  It’s time to turn it all over to God and trust that He will see you through this.

Un-forgiveness has plagued you, tormented you, harassed you, haunted you, entrapped you.

I forgive you.

Now it is time for you to forgive yourself.

Release the chains that bind you to that lifestyle.

Rise above it all.

You are a prisoner no more.

STOP!