Freedom Through Greater Healing
When I first saw the information for the Committed to Freedom—Beyond Abuse Seminar in the Redeemer Bulletin, I thought it was a nice resource, but not necessary for me. Sure, I’d been sexually abused as a child, but I was fine and had everything under control. But it was good that others had the option, though.
As the years went by, I got married, bought a townhouse in the Jersey burbs and moved on with my life but it turned out things weren’t as “fine” as I’d thought. My life had progressed in every measure, but it was getting increasingly more difficult to mask the pain. Even worse, I found that ignoring the issue wasn’t just eating me from the inside-out; it was damaging my marriage as well. I reluctantly pursued professional help via counseling.
I couldn’t have found a more qualified therapist. While she counseled me in the evenings, her “day job” was with DYFS (NJ State’s Child Services agency) and she too had been sexually abused as a child. However, she was not a professed believer in Christ so while it was extremely effective using her as a sounding board to tease out issues, I felt there was still something missing. What about God? How did my God fit into all of this?
When I saw that Redeemer was offering the Beyond Abuse Seminar again, I was ready. It was still terrifying, but there was a missing piece in my recovery and searching for it helped propel me passed the fear. Attending that seminar was one of the best decisions I made and was a significant step in the right direction of my abuse recovery. It enabled me to build a place for God in the midst of all that happened to me as a kid (this might sound blasphemous, but understand that sometimes we ignore the ones we love when we’re angry and confused with them). While I still left the Seminar with many unanswered questions to struggle through, there was significantly greater understanding, insight and hope. We are not alone in our struggle for health, balance and healing. There are others, and there is most certainly our God.
Jesus’ birth reminds us that we need a Savior. As we celebrate our Savior’s birth, we are encouraged to renew our commitment to live a new life that was given to us through our Savior. Does your new life involve greater healing and greater freedom from past traumas? The Redeemer Diaconate invites you to consider this year’s Beyond Abuse Seminar on February 8, 2014, from 10:00AM to 5:00PM. And please pass on this valuable resource. For more information visit:
redeemer.com/care/diaconate/seminars.html.
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