What is the percentage of good to bad men?

[Brad D.]

Another aspect of the schools of thought on abuse are the shame to guilt ratio. There is a difference. Shame is what someone else has done. That may be what my brothers and I both carried. Guilt is what one person does on their own that places shame on another. That is what the ex carried alone in my case scenerio. I don't place blame on anyone else so I guess that act of abuse caused us all to be ashamed. Despising the shame is that outside the camp experience of enduring I would think. Not that I wasn't also guilty of inflicting shame on the ex by not respecting him as he thought fit. I also hit him back once but he laughed and threatened to break both my legs if I did that again. Lucky he was driving at the time so he could think twice about it. My offence then was getting my long hair cut. I'm really not looking for pity but I'm sure there are many females not speaking up that know what I'm talking about. That strange silence again.

Just one more question were your mom and dad around during any of this and what were there thoughts and roles about what were happening? And did your Ex's family ever have any roles positive or negative?

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Just one more question were your mom and dad around during any of this and what were there thoughts and roles about what were happening? And did your Ex's family ever have any roles positive or negative?

The exs mom and my mom were who I removed myself to a few times. My dad and his dad were not.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

This is going offtopic a bit, but I read somewhere also that 1 in 6 boys are abused and 1 in 4 girls. Those are very sad statistics. I don't have the details of where those numbers came from.

ETA probably not offtopic at all... any other stories to tell?

ETA I have edited some of my posts that had TMI.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

I have to wonder if wrapping women in big black sheets and not letting them go out unprotected is a sign of what is going on as other threads are saying. This thread is about threats within the home that protection is needed from, but there are the dangers without too that is acknowledgeable. As if it was as easy as dressing in a costume to scare off the wolves and goblins, then life would be simplified for women and children. But pure religion, undefiled before God and the Father, is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Our Father, who is the ultimate judge, which is Who I place my faith in, seems to judge that widows are those with no husband to defend their affliction, and the orphans as those who also have no mother to defend them in their affliction. Orphans. Christ said He would never leave us as orphans and widows of the dead (spiritually) are free to marry Him.

It's very sad to see the hierarchy of abuse. So much forgiveness needed.

Father please take your rightful place as we view this temporary world. Protect us from it's sorrow and grief but not by turning us away in blind conformity to the rest of the world, but rather open our eyes to understand who You are in relation to it all. Thank You True Father as we honor You. Amen

 

[Brad D.]

I've been thinking a lot about the word processes of late. Sometimes God gives me a word or a phrase like that and it for a long time can become a word or phrase of life. The phrase "Don't despise the Processes", Then has been added to it. When God begins to use a phrase like that in my life, it seems to resonate day and night. It is pure manna and delight. It is filled with love and wisdom. God can speak so much in so little.

It is often when this happens, then this theme seems to pop up everywhere. It has been God's way of putting His indelible, undoubtable print upon it. This happened today in reading a short work by T. Austin Sparks. He is someone whos' writings have often meant much to me. Here is what he said today.

Perhaps you have been amazed, and perplexed and bewildered, why God should use that, and that and that; and such and such persons. You have been inclined to say : "It is all contrary to what I believe to be necessary to God and His mind for his work...." But history does not bear that out. As I say, He has used the devil, and the devil is not according to God's mind. There is a sovereignty of God spread over in relation to His end. But when you have said that, it is a frightening fact when you come to the work of God. He sent out the 12 and the 70 and they did many mighty things....but then these same people are found, after the cross, with their faith shattered and; nothing to rest upon. What does it say?

But then thank God, the book of Acts tells the rest of the story and transforms the whole situation!
{End Quote}

The "processes". "Don't despise the processes."

I've been thinking about writing about the processes of late. I think of Joseph for example handed over to the hands of his brothers after all those dreams only to come inches from being murdered at their evil hands and then sold into slavery. 20 years he sat in the pain of that experience, apart from Jacob, and Benjamin whom he loved. And then one day they came riding into town and he remembered his dreams. Suddenly everything came full circle. " You meant it for evil, God meant it for good."

I think of all these evil, painful experiences His people go through. The frightening, bewildering, perplexing, hurtful processes God allows and then uses. It is amazing what He uses. But yet He does. Years go by and then we see, that even that, yes that, there is something in that that makes me to be the person He has made me to be. It may take years to realize. But yet there it is. One day I think if we look for it, it comes riding into town.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

I'm surprised at the similarity of God's word in Job 38 and those in Isaiah 40
Waiting on the Lord to accomplish His good work.