Spirituality Classroom Blog

Dr. Brene Brown of The Daring Way^TM, tells it like it is for all us humans, based on her years-long, intense research on shame and vulnerability.  She states in her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, that on the inside of each of us, we contain an infinite power – the power of our light.   

Spiritual abuse attempts to squash that light out of existence, casting us back into shame and disconnection.  She says that the secret to rising above all that misery lies in owning our story – not hiding it somewhere, making believe that it’s not worthy of sharing.  That’s extremely difficult when we have been hurt badly.

Be that as it may, we each do have a light within that has been given to us by the Lord our Beloved Maker and Sustainer.  The story of our lives and the difficulties we have sometimes in keeping the light going, is of the utmost value.  Trauma tries to make us believe the opposite.  We want to hide our light and our...

Last week I explained how I came up with these three phrases:

• Rendered by life’s events
• Transformed by Christ
• Empowered by the Holy Spirit

 If you didn't read last week's blog, I invite you to do so now.

Each one of those phrases represents a part of the healing process from having been spiritually abused.  There comes a time when the pain and suffering have had their say in “rendering” us.  We realize that we can’t carry it any longer.  We’ve had it.  And so we sur-render to our Maker.  

The Latin prefix “sur” means “over” or “above.”  We have given over our “rendering” by life's events,  to the Lord who loves us unconditionally.  And now he can “sur-round” us with his loving comfort and healing presence. 

There’s a song I can remember singing a few decades ago called “His banner over me is love.”  Exactly. ...

I’m thinking my way through some steps to healing from spiritual abuse.  How do we heal from such atrocities?  Is it totally the Lord who swoops in and performs an outright  miracle?  He certainly could.  Perhaps he does in some cases.

But is that how our healing always takes place?  Or can we play a part in our healing?  What does the process look like?  Are there steps to go through?  The following list is not meant to be comprehensive.  And they’re not in any particular order.  It’s simply what I’m thinking about today.  See what you think. 

• Prayer
• Someone to talk to that really knows how to listen
• Community – perhaps a new community
• Research into how others have handled similar abuse
• Passage of time
• Willingness & determination
• Deep yearning for our own wholeness
• Turning points and Milestones
• Becoming sick and tired of not being healed, which means we’re willing and ready to...

When we’ve been abused, our spirit feels crushed, our soul feels shame, and our body’s energy is down.  We can even think that somehow the abuse is our fault.  The “friend” who is the abuser has behaved in such a way as to move us from perhaps a healthy outlook on life, to the line of thought and swamp of emotions, that not only do we hurt, but also we think that we’re so unworthy that no one could value us anymore.  And so we don’t value ourselves either.  Spiritual abuse is a real downer.

I’m here to tell you that that’s not the way it’s supposed to be in the Body of Christ.  That kind of abuse is utterly abominable, and it’s not your fault.  Let me say that again.  It’s not your fault!  Spiritual abuse is an external event that someone else caused to happen to us.  And it is abominable and totally opposite of anything remotely Christ-like!

How is it supposed to be? ...

The purpose of my website reads:  “Empowering women who have been spiritually abused by someone in their church, to discover their path through healing toward unleashing their Ultimate Creative Potential in Christ.”  Today’s blog is about the phrase “Ultimate Creative Potential in Christ.”  

I’ve been collecting ideas for quite some time, for various ways to define that phrase.  I hope that working with you all will cause my definition to grow, as I listen to your experiences.  But for now, I will offer over several blog entries, my beginning definition for “Ultimate Creative Potential in Christ”: 

"Growing throughout life into an ever wiser and stronger maturity, with faith, hope, love, and joy, while being able to express our unique  creativity with all the giftedness that the Lord has given us, in order to serve God, Self, and Others in His Kingdom." 

Over time, our “ever wiser, stronger...

Why do you suppose I chose the phrase "Pray Always.  Laugh Often.  Grow in Christ."  to be the logo for Spirituality Classroom?  

Each of those short sentences means a lot to me in the way that I maintain my own spiritual wellness.  So let’s take a look at each of them.  Perhaps you'll glean meaning from them too.

Pray always.

Does it seem possible or impossible to you – to ALWAYS be at prayer?  If you’re thinking, “No, it’s not possible, then why would St. Paul tell us to do exactly that – to pray always?  Yet which of us, even on good days, manages to pray all the way through any set of waking hours, even when we haven't been hurt badly? 

Spiritual abuse can cripple our faith at a deep and basic level, affects the health or dis-ease of our prayer life.  When it seems as though we can’t pray any more, then is it absurd to talk about praying always?  I think not.

 In the...