abuse
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The Narcissistic Husband: The Day God Set Me Free
To be married to a narcissistic husband is to live a half-life. Your body keeps going, but your mind and heart gradually die within you. That God did not want me to die came as a surprise to me. And some might think that title is scandalous. Some believe that God would never condone leaving one’s husband. I know that my fear of divorce kept me from escaping a narcissistic husband for over ten years. My belief that God valued the institution of marriage over the safety of my children and myself disrespected Him as Abba. He is a good, good Father. We should fear God more than we fear…
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The Spiritual Abuser: The Five Lies They Tell
At thirteen years old, in eighth grade, I became the victim of a spiritual abuser. I just didn’t realize it for years. I attended confirmation classes in my church and sang in the choir, rang bells in the handbell choir, and participated in the youth group. Ardent for the Lord, I led my youth group in a twenty-four-hour prayer vigil. But I was also vulnerable and awkward. Too tall too fast and prone to saying the wrong thing, I carried a full contingent of insecurities. So when my mother’s prayer partner and friend, (I will call her Gladys) cornered me one day after I had babysat her children for an…
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Getting Fired Taught Me a Frightening Lesson
I got fired about fifteen years ago for a lack of integrity as a Christian. At least that was the charge leveled at me, though I received no concrete examples of poor behavior, nor could I think of any. I was a single mom of four girls and worked as instructor at the local state university as my main occupation. In the mornings, in exchange for tuition for all four girls, I taught two hours of junior and senior English at a local private Christian school. Right away I noticed that tension pervaded the school. The principal seemed gracious, but the vice principal, who I will call Janine, was a…
