Summing Up Abuse

The past couple of days have been a rough patch of writing for us.  Not because we don't care; we do.  But, addressing abuse and unmasking the enemy can be a very exhausting task.  Nevertheless, we know that these things must be said from time to time so that none of us can be excused for not knowing.

As we wrap up this short series on abuse, let's remember a couple of key points...

1.  Divorce is not the answer.  Because of the covenant that we lock ourselves into with marriage, divorce is an unnatural tearing.  Even when abuse is present, divorce is not the answer.  Divorce is simply putting a band-aid on cancer.  Divorce does not deal with issues that need dealing with.  It only temporarily removes the symptoms of the greater problem.

2.  The enemy (aka the devil) wants you to lose.  He will do whatever he can to make you fail.  He will try to distract you, beat you, frustrate you and a host of other tricks.  But, because we have God Himself on the inside we only have to not give up.  The Father will do the rest.  Don't look at the circumstances; look to the Eternal God that sees everything and is making a way for you to become restored.

2.  God is greater.  He is bigger than any abuse, any infidelity, any failure, any short-comings, and any lack.  If we will hold to Him and not be so easily swayed by the doctrines of the world, we will see His ultimate power displayed through His restoration of our marriage.

3.  You are not your own...you belong to God Almighty.  As much as we may love our spouses we cannot lean on them to give us our identity.  If we leave it to our spouses to tell us who we are we will wind up misshapen and retarded.  And if our spouse has abused us in any way the damage done is that much greater.  We must rely upon the Father to tell us who we are and remind us that we belong to Him.

We hope and pray that through our life and this humble blog that we are able to help even one person stand for what God has given to them.  We love you all and pray constantly that His Holy Spirit would guide you on this journey.

Josh and Serena