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24 March 2012

Overcoming Childhood Sexual Abuse – With God’s Help, by Carrie Fancett Pagels

When Abuse in Within the Extended Family

In this post I am not going to address to the child who is sexually assaulted or molested by strangers or someone outside the extended family.  There are some differences in the dynamics. I am a believer that no amount of therapy is going to bring healing to a sexually abused child like God’s touch.  His gentle, loving ministrations to us, sometimes through others. And it is often hard for a child to trust others after being betrayed by someone who is supposed to love and care for them.

So at the heart of sexual abuse is a loss of trust. Relationships are often problematic. The child who has been abused may isolate, be quiet, or try to be perfectly.  Conversely, there are children who begin to sexually act out or be provocative in their relationships with others.  Almost always there are somatic symptoms.  Chronic stress can affect many facets of health. 

God loves us. I don’t know why He allows this travesty to occur. What we do know is that He promises us that He will never leave nor forsake us and that He can bring healing. 

Kim Vogel Sawyer’s ministry focuses on bringing beauty for ashes.  Her testimony is an example of how God can help those who have been abused, even for years and years, to be overcomers, through Christ. 

We have enjoyed having Kim on the blog this week.  I am listening to "Courting Miss Amsel" on audio right now and loving the story.  God has blessed Kim with a nine book contract recently!  And one of our readers is about to be blessed with a Kim book!

Thank you, Lord, that  You are sufficient and that You can heal ALL our hurts, including those so terrible that they may never be expressed aloud.  We give You thanks and praise, for your healing.  In Jesus’s precious name, Amen.

18 comments:

  1. Thanks Carrie for your commentary on this tough topic.

    I haven't been around much this week. Didn't have much time to hang out with you, because we had workers fixing a new roof on our house. Those guys always need more coffee or other refreshments. ;) But I'm glad that the job is finished now!

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  2. Marian, I can identify. I'm still cleaning up dust from the tile man laying new tile in our guest bath. Who knew that would create such a mess?

    CARRIE, thank you for your very moving post. As a victim of every kind of childhood abuse for most of my childhood, until 18 years of age, I can certainly attest to God's healing power in our emotional as well as our physical being. I still have issues I'm working on, but God has brought me so far.

    I shared my testimony before our lady's group at church, and the following Sunday a couple of ladies came to me with a big hug, and said they had thought it was EASY for me to serve God. I had a great husband and family, a wonderful house and car, and no problems! haha That's a wonderful testament to God, when people have no clue the nightmare you have been through, but are still serving Him! Plus it also teaches us not to envy another person's life, for we know not the battles they are going through.

    Some of our greatest Bible teachers were abused and God took that that the enemy meant for harm and turned it to good. I read a book by Joyce Meyer entitled Beauty for Ashes, where she describes her abuse and deliverance in detail, Stormy (by Stormy O'martian), and Get Out of that Pit by Beth Moore. All wonderful women of God, including Kim V. Sawyer, who were set free by the mighty power of God!

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  3. GOODNESS, CARRIE! I didn't mean to write an article as long as yours! Sorry, it looked waay shorter on the comment thingy!

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  4. DIANA, would you please write up your testimony for our next commentary on this? Lovely Kelly Long is coming on soon and she shared with me that she has a tough childhood, too and I think you should write the Saturday post for that week, sweetie. Let me know!

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  5. Great article on a difficult subject, Carrie.

    When we experience specific trials, we can better minister to others going through the same agony.

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  6. Will give it some prayerful thought, Carrie. You know I'm awfully long winded---in person and in writing. :)

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  7. I have such admiration for people who can rise above the difficulties of the past to be holy witnesses for the rest of us. Kim certainly is one of these women. I am thankful for her testimony of God's redeeming love that she shows through her books and her life.

    pmk56[at]sbcglobal[dot]net

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  8. JANET, thanks for coming by! Hope to have lunch with you in CW soon with our other writer friends!!!

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  9. DIANA, TERESA's testimony has been up. I should get working on mine but God has helped me with so many things I wouldn't know which one to pick, lol!

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  10. PAM, and that is why their stories resonate with us, I think - those things, the adversity suffered, can translate into powerful writing.

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  11. I would love to win one of your books!!! Thank you for the chance!!! frederickmolly@yahoo.com

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  12. MOLLY, I presume you mean one of Kim's books, but hopefully one day that could have meant one of my books. Hmmm, maybe you want a copy of my master's thesis or doctoral dissertation. Nah.... Hey, DIANA, do you think MARIAN is doing bootleg copies of Soul's Journey - Escape from Versailles (my as-yet-unsold MS)?

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  13. LOL! I don't know, but I'm still hanging off a cliff here with that last MS. It's tough living life on the edge. ;)

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  14. HEY HEY!!
    I'm as innocent as a new-born babe! Well... sort of... LOL ;)

    You can't let Diana hang too long off that cliff, Carrie!! She might fall... I don't want to witness that... :(

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  15. Congrats to Mary Duff, our winner of her book of choice by Kim Vogel Sawyer. Thank you everyone for being with us this week, and a special thanks to Kim, for being such a lovely and charming guest!

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  16. Appreciate you sharing. Blessings.

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