Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “Abuse”
The following is a true story from a real abuse survivor. However, details of her story have been altered to protect her identity and the privacy of her family. Any similarities between people or situations are coincidental. My name is Andra. When I was a little girl, I was something of a tomboy. I tagged along with my dad, helping …
I’m recovering from abuse, and while I’ve made a lot of progress, shame still permeates my life. How do I break free? How do I trust that God loves me?
Hello friends! It’s been a wild blur of a week. We are finishing up final edits on the last chapter of Not Forsaken, I submitted an article about finding hope after church abuse for the ERLC (stay tuned for that!), and today I interviewed with the amazing Bryan Kirk over at Houston Patch (stay tuned for that too!). But my …
My mom knew that my dad was a pervert with a violent temper who never apologized for anything. She thought that if she submitted to him and was a good Christian wife, he would eventually become a good Christian man, repent of his sin, and love her. Her background included catholic, charismatic, and reformed doctrines, and there was a copy …
Circling the rubble of Harvey Weinstein’s imploded reputation are an assortment of buzzardly lies and rumors. Some people don’t understand the motivations of an abuser. Others don’t understand why abuse victims would keep silent for years, even decades. Here are a few of the misunderstandings, and a bit of clarification, regarding the chemistry of an abusive relationship: Rumor: Sexual Predators …
Happy Valentine’s Day!!! 50 Shades of Grey is out!!! (That was said with seething sarcasm.) Many people have been very vocal about the morality of a movie that glorifies an abusive relationship, so I’m not even going to bother rehashing that. Instead, I’m going to address the typical response to dissenters: “IT’S OK. THEY’RE BOTH CONSENTING ADULTS.” Seriously? Since when …
As someone whose memories of child abuse, domestic violence, hurtful words, and emotional abuse overwhelm the happy memories of childhood, holidays are usually tinged with sadness and anger. I should be able to celebrate Christmas with my dad, but I can’t feel happy, safe, or calm around him. I want to be able to have my dad over for Thanksgiving, …
This is the first in a series of blogs about forgiveness. For a rough overview of talking points I’ll be covering, check out my “preface” blog to this series: The Top 10 Most Prevalent Lies About Forgiveness. Besides personal experience, I will be basing many of my ideas on Matthew 18, specifically verses 21-35. If you aren’t familiar with the …
I consider myself an expert on forgiveness. Seriously, anyone over the age of 20 who isn’t festering in bitterness is probably an expert on forgiveness. But forgiveness is still hard. Especially when we’re confronted with issues such as domestic violence, adultery, lies, betrayal, or theft. It’s hard to forgive people, especially friends and family, for taking advantage of our trust in them.
There are countless “life coaches” and positive thinkers out there today who would have you believe that if you think enough positive thoughts, and are determined to be happy, you WILL be happy. They say that you can rise above your own personal challenges if you just have enough self-generated motivation. Sadly, this is not true. Why? Because there is …
