Dealing with Self Harm

You may not be able to verbally express the pain you feel inside, and for you, cutting is the only option. You are not alone. Jesus also was in such pain and anguish, he actually SWEAT blood!

After leaving his disciples, Jesus walked away and knelt down and prayed, “Father if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

The cup of suffering Jesus was referring to was this: Jesus knew in a very short amount of time he would be handed over to die for the sins of all mankind!
In your agony, you CAN pray just as Jesus did! Look at this passage: It says Jesus prayed in agony of spirit. Even if you can't tell anyone how you are feeling right now, God knows your heart and your pain.

What else can you do?

First, believe that God knows you better than you know yourself. Know that at any time you are angry, you can pray silently and ask for his help even when there are no words. Ask him to show you how to express what you are feeling when the time is right.

Second, understand that as far as blood is concerned, Jesus shed his blood as a sacrifice for you. When Jesus died on the cross, he said, “It is finished!” He paid the penalty of death for your sin and my sin. Guilt no longer has a place in your life if you believe that Jesus took your sins upon himself on the cross.

Pray this prayer:

“Jesus, I confess that, in hurting myself, I ignore that you were wounded for me. I am doubting your promises, even though I know that you speak truth. I confess that I prefer to turn inward than to turn to you. Yet I am so overwhelmed by the things I feel and I do this because I want to control rather than trust in your control. Please help me.”

The freedom to confess comes from knowing that, through Jesus Christ, God takes joy in forgiving us. The Bible says in another passage:
“If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness” (Psalm 130:3). There is amazing freedom in this Scripture.

Once you have had time to realize that the path with Jesus is better than the path of self-injury, allow other people in. God wants to bring what is hidden in darkness to light. If you can't speak openly to someone yet, it probably means you aren't willing to change yet.

Feed yourself with the Bible. Psalms in the Old Testament, the book of Mark and the book of Ephesians in the New Testament are good places to start.

Since your self-injury follows a pattern in which you anticipate the places and situations when you are the most vulnerable, begin choosing alternatives such as calling a friend, or reading in a public place long before your emotions reach their crisis point.

When you blow it, don't give in to hopelessness. Pray, and remind yourself that Jesus knows what you are going through and that he wants to help you press on. Read what he said himself:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)