John 8:12

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

Hello, Altered Stories Family,

This month is Domestic Violence Awareness month. While for many, this topic can be hard to speak about, to not do so isn’t a good idea. The Bible says that the deeds done in darkness will be brought to the light.

As I write this, my mind goes back to the first encounter with this kind of violence. I was a very young child, and we were in a hotel when my mom’s boyfriend began beating her so bad, she had every bone in her face broken.

Sadly, we tried to run, only to have this man stalk us for years. This didn’t end until my mom met him at the door with a 22-gauge shot gun, and told him, “If you ever find us again, I will kill you.”

This would not be the only incident of domestic violence I would see, and face. In fact, later, I was the witness to the murder of my sister, by another boyfriend of my mom’s.

In my teen years, after I came to know Christ, one of the first things I learned is that I had to forgive the man who hurt my mom. I also had to forgive the man who murdered my sister. Mathew 18:21-35. This was by no means easy.

Please understand, that forgiving someone who committed an act of violence against you or someone you love does not mean you condone the act. They still must atone be accountable for their actions and God for their sin.

What forgiveness does, is releases you from the chain of bitterness and the strongholds that can develop. If you hang on to the hurt and anger and all the stuff related to it for too long, you will become bitter and could demonstrate abusive behaviors.

Also, forgiveness is not a one and done situation. For me, that act of forgiveness took me on a year’s long journey of healing.

If you are working through your situation, give yourself some grace. You don’t have to have everything figured out in one setting.

Finally, forgiving a person doesn’t mean staying in a situation that is harmful. You don’t have to be abused or hurt. God doesn’t demand that of you at all.

If you are a victim of domestic violence, we encourage you to reach out to us for prayer for protection and healing, and contact your local church or state resources for support.

God bless,

Teresa

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