by Beth Swain Relieved, I watched the counselor gather his papers without asking me that dreaded question. Then, as if an afterthought, he asked, “Oh, was there any sexual abuse?” There it was. “You mean with me?” I asked, attempting a casual facade. Still, my quivering voice betrayed me. “Yes, with you.” His kind…
Category: Home and Family
Midst Roses and Concrete
Finding forgiveness for the deepest hurts. by Shirley A. Reynolds On a concrete bench in a mausoleum courtyard, I tried to muster courage. Shaking my fist at the foliage, I said, “I’m not leaving until I’ve emptied my heart of this anger toward my mother.” Oh Mama, I thought. Why did you use a…
The Power of Pain
The suffering of Christ gives newmeaning to a suffering man. by Douglas Hainer as told to Marguerite Tustan My earliest memory is being struck in the head with the butt of a rifle. It was my fourth birthday. My older sister, jealous of the attention I was receiving, hit me so hard that I…
Breaking Through
Releasing bitterness and finding peace. by Audrey Hector Angry, rebellious, and bitter. I hated my husband. I hated my job. I hated people. But most of all, I hated God. I teetered on the edge of insanity and fell deeper and deeper into the black hole of depression. I wasn’t always this way. I…
The Ugly Truth About Child Abuse
Understanding past and present influencesto find freedom for the future. by Muriel Larson My dedicated Christian friend, Melissa*, told me, “The memory of that awful experience when I was four has been indelibly seared into my mind; I have relived it again and again. It has profoundly affected my whole life. It is the…
My Daughter Was a Victim of Domestic Violence
A mother’s pain leads to helping others. by Ginger Green as told to Sherri Langton A sunny redhead, an honor student: Not the type of girl you’d expect to see lying still and pale in a coroner’s room. But on Monday, May 13, 1991, there she was — our daughter, Margo, dead at twenty-two….
Rescue of the Throwaway Child
The providence of God in overcoming an abusive past. by Sandra Carlson* as told to Calvin Burrell At seven, I walked; at fifteen, I talked; at fifty, I began to live. Everything about my childhood was painful – right from the start. I was born physically and mentally slower than my five brothers and…
Confessions of a Workaholic
God sets the captives free — evenwhen they’re doing His work. by Bob Jones as told to Julie Guirgis My wife, Jane, rings at 6:00 p.m. “Will you be home for dinner?” Frustration is in her voice. “Twenty minutes, I promise,” I tell her. But as usual, I know it will be another late…
A Place for Grace
Removing the stigma from single parenthood. by Dawn Shanks, MEd My three-year-old’s voice became increasingly louder. “But why, Mom?!” he repeatedly asked, though I told him to pick only six books — the limit we had agreed on in the car. Our bag could not hold any more books without ripping. Not surprisingly, he…
One of Her Songs
Finding wholeness in the empty nest. by Beth Farley I was heading to the bookstore to do some writing when indigestion reminded me that I had forgotten my heartburn medicine. I can’t go to the bookstore without drinking a cup of café coffee; I can’t drink coffee without the heartburn medicine, so off to…