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Quiet
How much time do you spend being quiet? Time alone to sit and reflect, to pray? I’ve tried to make being quiet a regular part of my day. Even if it’s just five minutes, it helps. I normally begin the time reflecting on things I’m grateful for. I often sit outside where I can reflect
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Perfect
For so many years, I tried to be perfect. Perfect in my interactions with people, perfect in my work, in keeping my house clean, in pretty much anything I did. If I’m perfect, I will be able to stay under the radar, avoid the glares, the punishment for stepping out of line. Those years changed
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Profile of an Abused Woman
So often when our culture thinks about women who have been abused, they think that they are weak, fragile or self-destructing women. But the truth is that women who are abused are often very successful, strong and gregarious women. We are often empathetic individuals with a heart to help the hurting. In fact, I believe
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Stress
There were moments in my recovery that were miraculous. There were only a few, but when they occurred I was no longer the same after. I remember specifically when I first came home and visited a local church. I didn’t know the Pastor, or anyone else in the congregation. I was a stranger to them
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Little Kisses
Looking back on my abuse if there is one thing I can say that got me through it, I would say that I knew that God loved me and that He had a plan for the pain I was going through. I would meditate on Jeremiah 1, believing that before God formed me in the
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Worth
My heart has been heavy this past week. A beautiful, smart, kind woman that I know publicly announced on Facebook that she’s been struggling with anorexia. In her note she wrote about her conversations with other women and how they often focused on their weight and the latest diet trends.
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Rejection
We all have a need for love and acceptance. It is wired into our DNA. Because of this need, when we are rejected the damages that it leaves behind can wreak havoc on our lives. I remember the first time I experienced a strong form of rejection. I was in Jr. high and a girl
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Enmity
Enmity: the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something. As women, we can be our own worst enemies. We can also inflict a lot of pain on each other. I can remember times when I was with a group of women and I felt like I needed to walk
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Light
After I left my husband, I moved back to my home town. I will never forget how scared I was to go back. I was afraid to see people after all I had done to myself and my family. I was filled with shame.
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Respect
One of the more surprising aspects of my healing process was when I went to a retreat on a ranch. One of the exercises we did was to interact with horses. I don’t know if you have ever read about how horses are used as part of therapy, but the connection between horses and humans
Out of the Grave 