incest
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They tell me I’m wasting my breath—picking at scars that should be hidden under sleeves. As if we are best served by silence, wearing smiles like masks stitched too tight, our eyes peering out like ghosts from behind glass. These are the ones who believe in tidy appearances, that betrayal and pain can be buried…
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Teachers like Joyce Meyer and Beth Moore promote a form of absolution to sexually abusive parents. I would argue that absolution is not theirs to give. ab·so·lu·tion/ˌabsəˈlo͞oSHən/ Formal release from guilt, obligation, or punishment. Definition from oxford language It goes on to say, “an ecclesiastical declaration of forgiveness of sins. Used in a sentence, “the priest administered…
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Introspection — what better way to start a week. Question: Do you easily call out the deception in your abuser(s) or do you deny what you see? One of the easiest ways to stay outside of healing and freedom is to deny what you see. As children, if you came through childhood sexual crimes, you…
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Times of reflection are the best way to start a week. Ask yourself this question: “Do I believe my life is getting better? I used to live with the conviction that life included pain and suffering. I didn’t know how to get beyond that. Addiction stiffled me enough to get through but I had a…
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King David is my favorite author of the Old Testament. He was a man that was real, honest, and raw with God. He mused and fussed with God, praised Him, and thanked him — all three rather quickly sometimes. An awesome man of God and King David asked God to keep him “as the apple…
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Times of reflection are the best way to start a week. Ask yourself this question: “What do I honor in life? As a verb honor means “regard with great respect.” I honor God for who He is. I honor you, the reader, by stopping my day and remembering you. What are you honoring today? What…
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Once there were always people. Houses full. Cars in the driveway. The long gravity of family gatherings pulling everyone back to the same kitchen table. Someone always pouring coffee. Someone always arguing about politics. Kids slipping between the legs of adults while the grown-ups talked too loudly. People orbited your life then. Parents. Aunts. Cousins.…
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Times of reflection are the best way to start a week. Ask yourself this question: “What is this dull ache I feel inside? Many of us are prisoners by crimes we did not commit. After those crimes, you bet we do things that keep us in prison but the first blood was often drawn by…
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I miss something I never had. That is the cruel math of it. A man stood in the doorway. He shared my blood, my last name, the air in the house. He existed. But he was not there. He was a storm that learned my name and used it. I grieve not a man, but…
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Showing Up Without a Net There was a time when the wound was not a metaphor. It was a secret. A child’s body carrying what it should never have had to carry. Sexual abuse & physical does something violent to your sense of order. It scrambles trust. It teaches you that love can harm you…