Walking Away from an Organization Does Not Equal Walking Away from Jesus!

I have been thinking a lot lately about the amount of people who have been harmed by some fairly large organizations and wondering how others can continue to support and "show up" like it's just another day at these organizations. By harmed I mean verbal, mental and even sexual abuse. Recently, I have been hearing stories from survivors of what could be considered human trafficking by some of these organizations and yes, right here in the good ole US of A. These survivors were manipulated, in the name of God, to work without pay, work an unseemly amount of hours for these "ministries" on top of their full time jobs, among other things. It's so heartbreaking to hear their stories.

What I would like to focus on here, though, is our response to these survivors. I have touched on this in one of my previous blog posts as well as mention it in almost all of my blog posts because it is so very important. We can easily re-harm survivors by our response to them. This will not help them on their path of healing.

If we want to help a survivor to find help, healing and hope; we need to allow them the space they need to process whatever feelings they have because of what they have been through. This means, DO NOT start by asking them if they have forgiven their abuser/s. Victims/Survivors need to feel angry for a while and that amount of time can not be dictated to them. As those who support them, we can not be afraid of their anger. We are to honor it, meaning we allow them to express it and show them unconditional love as a response to it. They are most likely use to being shuned and silenced because of their anger. We need to show them that they are still lovable and loved no matter what feelings they are experiencing.

We need to allow them to set whatever boundaries they need to set to start healing from what they have been through. That may mean walking away from the organization/church or from all organizations/churches for now and how ever long they need. Jesus' shoulders are big enough to carry all of us through the healing process. His love for us is not so fragile or fickle to the point that if we don't think or behave a certain way; we will loose His love. Absolutely not! Jesus' love for us is steadfast, strong, bold, brave, never wavering and always available! Our love for victims/survivors needs to mirror His! Let's think on this for a bit and see where it takes us; see how our behavior and responses may change because many of us need this change.

Choosing healing together!