Illusionists! The abusers we have not seen
Some illusionists fool us to amuse us. Abusers and abusive systems fool us to control us. Freedom and life hinge on seeing the illusionists we have not seen.
Some illusionists fool us to amuse us. Abusers and abusive systems fool us to control us. Freedom and life hinge on seeing the illusionists we have not seen.
Once, in Malachi, God may have said that he hates divorce. Repeatedly, in Jeremiah, God reveals how much he hates divorcing. Repeatedly, he laments the nonstop betrayals that did, and could, bring him to do it.
If you have been betrayed by a spouse: The God who sees you has been there. And as Malachi 2 tells us: The Lord hates treachery. The Lord defends the betrayed.
Real rest is so different from what I had thought. It’s so much more expansive, and desirable, and enjoyable. And it’s so very vital. Thing is, I desperately needed real rest long before I knew I needed it. I had no clue how rest-deprived I was.
If you have been forsaken - by your parents, by your spouse, by people around you who count you "not one of us" - know this: When God finds you among the bereaved and discarded, he himself takes up your cause.
If you have suffered at the hands of the self-absorbed, the biblical book of Esther was written for you. Far from the fairy tale we've imagined, Esther's story shows us how to overcome the chaos and destruction wreaked by narcissists who care only for themselves.
Thousands of years ago, a little book that lies near the center of the Old Testament broke the silence. Esther the book speaks openly of sexual, racial and domestic abuse. Esther the woman experienced all three. Still today, Esther is speaking out to show us how one abused woman faced down what threatened to swallow her up, and how we can do the same.