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How the Bible Reads You When You Read It
The Bible is intertextual. In literary theory, the term intertextuality refers to the interrelationship between texts, especially works of literature; the way that similar or related texts influence, reflect, or differ from each other. And just as many works of literature reference the Bible, whether knowingly or unknowingly, we, too, are texts that interact with every book that we read. Think of it this way. I am a collection of experiences, memories, and acquired knowledge. I have a library in my mind. As I read any work, I access this library of the mind and interact with whatever I am reading. In a sense, everything I read is now understood in a whole new way. I create a new book that no one has ever read before, at least not…
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Loyalty vs Casting Pearls before Narcissists
A reader recently asked a question about the line between healthy loyalty and codependency. I didn’t have an immediate answer so I took some time to really think about it. I looked up the definition of loyalty and it surprised me a little. The first word listed is devotion. The next words are more familiar; faithfulness, allegiance, support. Those rang truer to me until I began to remember my relationship with my narcissistic ex-husband. A turning point in my heart came when I heard a preacher say We worship what we fear. The words messed with me because I was trying to follow Jesus. I considered myself as worshiping only…
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Betrayal Trauma: Why It Hurts the Worst
Betrayal comes in many different forms and the damage from each is often long-lasting. Breaking trust creates ripples that affect whole generations of people in the areas of culture, relationship, and communication. Future relationships can be undermined before they even begin when the foundations of trust become fractured. Individual recovery is not done alone in the case of betrayal trauma and if safe people cannot be found, recovery may not even be accomplished. What Betrayal Looks Like Betrayal trauma happens when a person or institution causes great harm to an individual or group of people, betraying the sacred nature of the original relationship. An example of this happened in my…
Healing Through Art & Words
