So lately, I've noticed that in many states, when a domestic disturbance is reported, police arrest both the man and the woman on the spot. While there are times when that measure is necessary, I think that it is becoming a blanket response and police are losing sensitivity to abusive situations. We all have a right to defend ourselves. That right should never be taken away. None of us have the right to attack anyone else. We all have a right to safety from one another and that must be protected. As victims and former victims of abuse, we must become proactive and actually pay attention to our local and state laws governing how victims are treated. We cannot afford to lose the right to defend ourselves. More coming on this thought later.
There are many forms of abuse and many methods within each form, but at the end of the day, they all work to destroy the esteem, mental and emotional wholeness and family structure of the victim. In fact, the very cruelty of abuse is that it creates victims. It causes isolation at best, extreme paranoia at worst.
One thing we can all do daily to advocate healing for those who have suffered from abuse is to show understanding, to provide a listening ear, to spread information for professional help and support, and stay informed on what protections are out there.
While not everyone has been a victim, until everyone decides this is an evil we will NOT allow in our society, we will continue to see it happen, go unreported and therefore unpunished, and it will be only a matter of time before it reaches out and touches us or someone close to us. Let's all choose to be advocates today!
One of the biggest problems with rape, molestation and other such crimes is the stripping of will. When someone takes anything from you, it makes you lose confidence in your ability to make decisions and protect yourself. Low self-esteem often results, and before long, victims of abuse find themselves almost needing their abuser, particularly in domestic violence. What do I mean?
It seems like they've been stripped of everything they were, so they now only identify themselves as a victim and in relation to the incident of abuse. That is a problem. I'm not just a former victim of abuse. I am also an abuse advocate. I'm also a pastor. I'm also a mother. I have other ways to identify myself. That is healthy. Some people are still stuck and feel like eternal victims. That's unhealthy and a sign of a missing identity. Pray with me now.
Father God, I pray for all those reading this blog post. I ask you to restore power to their minds and hearts. Restore their bodies. Give them back their esteem. Empower them to use their pain and past mistakes or happenings to help others and themselves. I speak strength over their lives. I speak peace to their minds. I speak serenity to their hearts. God, shower the readers with your love. Let them know that they mean the world to you. Saturate them in your joy, and give them an abundant life. God, for all the years they suffered pain, I thank you that those years will be multiplied back in your joy. I pray for all these in Jesus' name, AMEN!!!
