Nightly Nightmares for Over 40 Years Gone after Choosing to Forgive

I have had nightmares every night all my life as far back as I can remember, because of all the abuse I suffered and witnessed growing up.  These nightmares kept making me feeling so emotionally drained; it was like the nightmares kept making me relive what had actually taken place, causing me to feel scared and full of anxiety.  I felt helpless as I would watched the past events in my life take place over and over again that I could not do anything about. Last year at 58 years of age, I woke up screaming from one of those nightmares saying repeatedly “Call 911”, because I had seen my mom being beaten by my dad.

As I was sitting in church praying the Lord’s prayer last year, “…And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us…” a thought came to me that I needed to forgive my dad for all the things he had done.  I think it was the Holy Spirit working within me.  I felt I needed to let go of all the negativity towards my dad and towards how I was brought up. This meant that I needed to forgive my dad for all the things he had done to me, especially for one of the most difficult things I remembered him doing to me that physically damaged my body.  It was hard to forgive him, especially for that one thing, but I knew I needed to.  I did not want God to hold anything against me, so I chose that day to forgive my dad of everything he did to me.

That night after I chose to forgive my dad, a miracle happened that I did not expect.  I did not have a nightmare.  Then, a week went by and I called my sister telling her what had happened – that I had one full week of no nightmares.  Now, it has been one year, that I have been totally free of nightmares.  When I chose to forgive, I was not expecting this added blessing of being free from nightmares that I had sought years of counseling for in order to get rid of them. But, it happened. What years of counseling could not do, God did for me as I chose to forgive my dad.

Not only are the nightmares gone, but God has lifted a tremendous burden from my heart.  The darkness that I felt continually over my soul that I couldn’t get rid of no matter how hard I tried was finally gone. Now, God’ s light has flooded my soul where the darkness stood.  If God can do it for me, I know God can do it for you.