01/05/2022
"LUCY" WAS ABUSED AS A CHILD.
She grew up abused and went from one abusive relationship to another, abused as she searched for love and validation even among her peers. She kept running, but kept getting pregnant as she ran. What would she now do, as noone seemed to understand her.? Noone appeared to care. Noone wanted to help...
SOME PEOPLE WROTE HER OFF.
BELOW THIS, IS A STORY FROM BETHANY, THAT I WANT TO SHARE, IN HIGH PRAISE OF MARKETPLACE MINISTERS. These are Ministers who work underground, from their little resources, without seeking recognition, praise or reward.
Many times, Marketplace Ministers are invited to high places as guests, unannounced, uncelebrated, uncared for, and unloved, but still, they carry with their Ministries. GOD SEES YOU. And, May the God that sees you, your hearts and labour, highly reward your labour of love. May He bless you, your children, children's children and families.
Many young girls are (all forms of) abused, as children, and grow up, trying to escape but the *"circle of abuse"* is a cycle that is hard to break. Abusers can "smell" their victims from many miles away.
Regardless of where she runs to or which group she attempts to join for sanity, abusers pick up on her, denigrate and despise her, her efforts at survival, and her humanity.
Some abusers are "so close to God", they are the ones that make her emotional trauma, worse. They rubbish the God that wants to save her, because they believe that they are His true sheep. No "lost sheep" must have a place in the life of the God that they "serve."
Many people are thus, spiritually arrogant, unloving, and uncaring. They are of the opinion that other humans must comply with their definitions and impressions of words or their rigid laid down rules. No flexibility, not even in their own homes, and many of them lead their spouses or wives to emotional trauma and sometimes, even, death. For them, God has no room for "damaged goods". He only recognises "saints" and others must remain "damned" to hell. Theirs is the definition of "Lovelessness".
Love 💘 never gives up. God has never given up on any of us. Our journey may be different, like our faces and DNA. We each have varying abilities to bear pain, and while some get stronger as they go through pain, others cave in, collapse or commit su***de.. Can anyone of us, calling ourselves "people of faith" imagine if God had gave up on us while we were lost in our sins.? Yet, God was kind to us.
This message is COPIED (with some edits), from Bethany Christian Services.
Thankfully, there are many Christians soldiers doing the work 💪 that Christ sent us to do. They are not in sheltered elevated sepulchres preaching to those already saved. They are out on the streets, in their ripped up jeans, looking to "BE FRIENDS" with the abused, dejected, rejected, confused, unloved and alone.
Many Marketplace Ministers are even classed among those that are "Godless", yet, THEY are the true worshippers of God. They hit the road and mingle. They search, they care and they provide for those "lost" in their pain, poverty, perhaps penury and sometimes spiritual hopelessness.
Love embraces and resists
LOVE ISN'T JUST A FEELING. IT'S A WAY TO RELATE TO OTHERS.
*"Scripture"*
1 Corinthians 13:4–8a (ESV) *Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. _It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing_, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.*
*"Discussion"*
Love is the common denominator in how we relate — to God, to others, or to ourselves.
As followers of Christ, love is our trademark.
Love is a tricky word. It’s most often understood as an intense feeling of deep affection.
Biblically, love has a much deeper and richer meaning; it transcends a feeling or emotion.
This is what we see in 1 Corinthians 13.
*Paul tells us that love isn’t merely a feeling but a way of relating to others.*
While most of us are fairly familiar with 1 Corinthians 13, *_slowing down to read it empowers us to enjoy subtle beauties we may otherwise miss._*
In this timeless passage on love, Paul uses poetic symmetry to deepen his point. He lists eight things love embraces and eight things love resists.
THERE IS AN ATTACHED TABLE HERE ABOUT WHAT LOVE EMBRACES AND WHAT LOVE RESISTS...
In these verses, Paul instructs us about what we need to hold close and what we need to let go. He empowers us with a framework to respond to any situation in love.
Sometimes we will need to do things that are out of our comfort zone; sometimes we will need to not do things that feel natural to us. In both situations, love empowers us to respond beyond our feelings so we may impart life to others.
We can begin by putting these into practice with those closest to us, our family. Although as Christians, we don’t stop there.
*As outlined in 1 Corinthians, we’re called to love everyone God brings into our lives.*
As I write this, we’re experiencing extremely anxious and unsetting times as a deadly virus spreads throughout the world. It’s easy for fear to take hold and control our thoughts, emotions, and actions.
*The good news of the Gospel is that we have a remedy for fear —courageous love (1 John 4:18).* We have experienced this love personally, and now we have the opportunity to share it with others.
So how can we live this out?
When quarantines are lifted, and people are able to resume typical schedules, many people are going to need help.
*"When a family is in crisis, kids can become vulnerable to neglect and, unfortunately, abuse."* At Bethany we believe no family should experience this.
Through the Safe Families for Children ministry, volunteer Host Families offer loving care to parents, watching over their children and providing compassionate community to their entire family while parents regain stability.
Our Host Families demonstrate the courageous love of Jesus to families in their moment of need.
*"Deeper Engagement"*
Choose one item from each list above (embrace and resist) and make a plan to put it into practice. What actions can you take to love those closest to you? How can you love your neighbor, and those that are not close to you, by practicing these responses?
*"Prayer"*
Father, thank You for the courageous love You’ve expressed to me through Christ.
Thank You for the patience, kindness, and perseverance You embrace me with each day. As I celebrate Your goodness in my life, I pray You would also use me as an instrument of goodness in the lives of others. Open my heart and mind to ways I can demonstrate the love and compassion of Christ to those nearby, in my community, and around the world. Amen.
After escaping a life of abuse, addiction and trafficking, Lucy found an intensive recovery program designed to help women like her. But the residential program…
