Perspective

Right now I'm angry. I'm so tired of ridiculous discussions where no one listens to another perspective. I'm tired of being told: "Be careful what you read because people just want to paint this person in a bad light". I think we have some really skewed perspectives that need changing!

I admit it, I've never watched the show, we don't have cable. Frankly I don't really care what Phil Robertson has to say. Here's what blows me away... So many "Christians" are sticking up for a man saying he is being "persecuted for his religious beliefs" when that is not the case. His comments at best were incredibly rude and crass (NO it wasn't just quoting Bible). If A&E wanted to fire him, then so be it! That doesn't mean he is being persecuted.

Here is what is REALLY bothering me about this whole situation. "Christians" are outraged by him getting fired for what he said, and over 50,000 people have signed a petition in 24 hours. BUT these same people are NOT seemingly as bothered by the child abuse that goes on WITHIN the church (GRACE put together a petition for the church at large to address the issue of child sexual abuse going on within the church and in 4 months has only gotten 1,600 signatures). (Find it here) Someone please tell me why we care more about the argument between Phil Robertson and A&E than when an adult permanently scars a child by sexually abusing them!!!!!

I understand that he is entitled to his beliefs, everyone is. If he really wants to represent the God that I love and serve in a way that will cause others to want to know God, then he should be loving, not rude and crass. The Bible says that without love we are nothing, and I saw no love from him, and frankly see very little of it in all of the discussions going on in various places online.

I guess my challenge is to think about your perspective. We are so quick to jump on a bandwagon of a celebrity, but so painfully slow in speaking up about those who would hurt a child.

Thankful

I have lots of friends who are doing 30 days of thankfulness and saying something each day this month that they are thankful for. I love the idea, and I contemplated doing it myself, but I know we are in for a crazy month because our youngest daughter is having yet another major surgery later this month. So, I decided that instead of doing one every day I would just make a list of some of the things that I'm thankful for and post them all at once!

1. I'm thankful for my wonderful husband who has stood by me and supported me in amazing ways!
2. I'm thankful for my children and the joy they bring to my life!
3. I'm thankful that over the last few years I have come to know who God really is!
4. I'm thankful for hope and that there is always hope!
5. I'm thankful for the amazing friends that have loved me unconditionally.
6. I'm thankful for some of the amazing doctors that have been able to help our sweet baby girl!
7. I'm thankful for the beautiful home that we are privileged to live in.
8. I'm thankful that God is always faithful!
9. I'm thankful that even though things are tight we always have enough.
10. I'm thankful for great music and how it does so much to brighten my days!
11. I'm thankful that a simple inexpensive coat of paint can change the whole feel of a room!
12. I'm thankful for clean, warm water, and that we don't have to worry about that.
13. I'm thankful that our son keeps us laughing and is often a bright spot in tough days.
14. I'm thankful that our oldest daughter is loving her new school and is thriving there!
15. I'm thankful that our sweet baby girl is tough because that has helped her walk this icky road.
16. I'm thankful that we have insurance.
17. I'm thankful for the crap that I have gone through in life because that has made me who I am today.
18. I'm thankful for the school my kids go to and that we are able to choose the school that best fits them!
19. I'm thankful for coffee! It helps me get going every morning!
20. I'm thankful for the amazing grandparents my kids have!
21. I'm thankful for a Grandma that prayed for me every day and loved me unconditionally.
22. I'm thankful that it is so easy to keep in contact with people far away that I love!
23. I'm thankful for a smartphone that I can download games on to keep little ones occupied easily!
24. I'm thankful that I'm able to work on line from home!
25. I'm thankful that I live in Arizona where I don't have to freeze, but where we can easily "visit" the snow.
26. I'm thankful for freedom!
27. I'm thankful for how easy it is to find new, yummy recipes online!
28. I'm thankful for my oldest daughter's adoptive parents and how they love her!
29. I'm thankful for churches that not only teach the truth of the Bible, but LIVE it out!
30. I'm thankful that we can break the cycle of abuse within our family, and instead build wonderful memories of real love with our children!

Bitterness

Bitterness ~ An accusation that is often used to silence a victim, or to discredit what they have to say so that no one else will pay attention.

I believe that this accusation is thrown around so frequently that we have lost sight of what bitterness really is. Webster defines bitterness as a deep seated ill will. Some synonyms given are animosity and antagonism. Please take notice that the synonyms are NOT anger, justice seeking, frustration, hurt, or removing oneself from a potentially dangerous situation!!

Can bitterness come from deep pain and how you choose to deal with deep pain, yes. BUT, hurt, anger, grief, tears, frustration, etc are all a part of the healing process. It is very normal and natural to have a myriad of emotions when you are deeply hurt. Working through these emotions is part of how most people heal over time. Bitterness comes when you choose to hold on to these emotions and let them consume your entire being.

If you are a victim please don't let people discourage you from working through the emotions and pain that you have gone through by throwing out this accusation! Working through the pain is how you keep from holding it all in and becoming bitter. Choosing to distance yourself from your abuser and cut off contact with them is WISE it does not indicate wrong doing on your part.

To those who throw out this accusation to silence victims: SHAME ON YOU! Instead of taking the easy way out, why don't you choose to love as Jesus did!

Wake up!

I know that the tone of the last few posts has been pretty harsh. There is a reason I'm as passionate as I am about abuse and how it is handled. I love Jesus and am really tired of seeing people misuse His name and misrepresent who He is!! When we do this it makes people run from church and God altogether! It truly is heartbreaking! When we use Jesus to manipulate people and excuse crimes while telling victims to forgive I believe it grieves the heart of God. THIS is why so many people want nothing to do with God or with the church.

My dear friend Jen recently had the courage to speak up about her abuse and prosecute her abuser. This article gives some of the really good reasons why I'm as passionate as I am. Wake up Church! Wake up Christians! Get your head out of the sand and realize that this is FAR more prevalent that any of us would like to admit. This issue MUST be dealt with!

Forgiveness does NOT equal reconciliation!

I know I posted about forgiveness last week, but there is one aspect that I believe needs to be understood better. There are many people who for one reason or another believe and try to force the belief on others that forgiveness = trust and reconciliation.

Here's how it often goes. Typically a victim will come forward about abuse and will even cut off contact with their abuser for a while. Then the victim is told If you have truly forgiven you would forget what happened and put it behind you and allow the relationship to start over again. Often verses from the Bible are used to aid in the manipulation. Whether that is "Judge not that ye be not judged" found in Matthew (you can't judge whether or not they have changed), or even "God has not given us a spirit of fear" II Timothy 1:7. (you need to trust God to protect you and your family and stop worrying that this person will hurt you again). These are just 2 of the many passages that I have seen used to justify allowing an abuser back into your life.

Listen, we are called to be wise! Would you take someone who is a recovering alcoholic and ask them to go to a bar (for any reason)? If you wouldn't do that why on earth you would you allow a child abuser (or sex offender) or ANY abuser for that matter around you or your children? This has nothing do do with fear (although a good healthy fear isn't necessarily a bad thing), but everything to do with wisdom and protection.

FORGIVENESS DOES NOT EQUAL TRUST!!! When trust is broken is has to be a long, slow process to earn it back. A sign of true repentance is when an abuser not only seeks forgiveness and admits their wrong doing, but makes NO excuses and is willing to face the consequences of their actions. This includes understanding that their victims (even if they are family members) may NEED to distance themselves because as an abuser they can't be trusted. (see this page for stats).

If you are a victim please don't allow yourself to be manipulated into believing that the only way you are doing what is right is if you allow your abuser back into your life. Sometimes the wisest choice you can make is to protect yourself and your family by separating yourself and your family from an abuser.

Post Surgery Update on our Sweet Girl

Last Tuesday our precious girl underwent yet another surgery. She had to have a Nissen Fundoplication. Thankfully, she was able to have it via laproscopic surgery, so there are 4 small incisions instead of a very large one. She however will still have a long recovery process.

After surgery she proved once again how incredibly tough she really is. Her heart rate started to go out of control and we couldn't figure out why. She kept telling us that she wasn't in pain, but we decided to give her pain meds anyway so that we can stay on top of the pain. As soon as the pain meds kicked in her heart rate stabilized! Poor girl didn't even realize how much pain she was really in!

We are now home, and overall she is doing amazingly well! She tends to think she in invincible and so she will get too active, and then start hurting, but other than that she is doing well. She is really only allowed to eat a liquid diet for 6 weeks, so that will be tough. Her diet will consist of things like yogurt, pudding, jello, simple soups (chicken noodle, tomato), and lots of home made applesauce and pear sauce.

Unfortunately, she will be having to have another major surgery before the end of the year. We appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers for our precious girl! She still has a long road ahead of her!

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is one of those things that is often very misunderstood. Quite often people try to use it to tell a victim that they shouldn't prosecute their abuser, or to tell them that they need to allow their abuser to have the same place in their life that they once did. Forgiveness can be a beautiful thing, but it has unfortunately been used as a tool to manipulate far too many victims. There is one very important fact to remember: FORGIVENESS DOES NOT EQUAL TRUST!!!!  

This website gives a really good definition of forgiveness. It defines forgiveness as: a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness.

There are a lot of things that forgiveness is, and things that forgiveness is not. The list below is in no way an exhaustive list, but it is a good start.

                                              i.      Forgiveness is:

1.       Choosing to forgive is tough and not a one time decision, but it is the best thing that can be done.

2.       Forgiveness benefits the victim not necessarily the abuser, while un-forgiveness hurts the victim, not the abuser.

3.       Forgiveness is a mental decision. We choose to forgive and then eventually our emotions will follow. We decide in our mind not to hold on the resentment and healing will follow.

4.       Forgiveness is a process, not a one time event. We have to choose to forgive again and again when the offense comes back into our minds and the fear, guilt, shame, etc. threaten to overwhelm us.

5.       Forgiveness is based on our attitude, not on other’s actions. We choose to either stay stuck and angry, or focus on God’s goodness to us and forgive. We can choose to forgive even if they never ask for forgiveness.

6.    Forgiveness helps to bring peace of mind and release anger. 

                                            ii.      Forgiveness is NOT:

1.       Forgiveness is NOT letting the offender of the hook! They are still accountable for their actions!

2.       Forgiveness is NOT letting the offense occur again. We do NOT have to tolerate abuse and continue to expose ourselves or our families to it!

3.       Forgiveness is NOT to be equated with reconciliation. We can forgive while still cutting ourselves off from an abusive relationship.

4.       Forgiveness is NOT forgetting! We can choose not to think or dwell on the bad things, but the memories will always be there even if they are tucked into a “back corner” in your mind. We should choose to focus on God’s goodness to us through our trials, and not on the pain we experienced.