Hope for Survivors and Those who Accompany Them

I just watched the news that showed the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein. I had seen a Netflix documentary before about him and the evil he did.  What a monster!

My heart goes out to these women.

I, too, am a survivor. Not by Jeffrey Epstein, but by a man in my neighborhood when I was a little girl. As I have shared before, it was like a Hansel and Gretel story. Fun, parties, play, candy, cake…

and an evil witch. Or should I say monster.

I kept that secret buried for years, hidden in shame. Until a midlife crisis, which drove me into therapy and into the desert with God. Not an actual desert but a place of silence and solitude, a place to heal.

I know the healing power of Christ. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel. This healing journey is what I am now passionate about sharing with others in Not Alone groups. Women learn various spiritual practices that enable God’s healing and transformative power.  Several professionals, including some therapists, have said there is nothing like this out there! Therapy is necessary and insightful, but more profound healing happens with God.  Seeing a ‘shift’ in these women brings tears of joy to my eyes.

I am offering two Not Alone groups starting on Sept. 22^nd -Nov. 17^th. The online group has one spot left, while the in-person group has four spots left.  I am trusting God with the outcome even though I hoped to have more sign up for the in-person group. I am feeling both disappointment for what is not, and gratitude for what is.

Patrice attended Not Alone one season. She is a survivor of incest. Her father had a well-respected position in the community. But behind closed doors, he was a monster. He dared to tell his daughter that “this was love.”  Bullshit.

At the end of group, she shared there was a ‘shift’ in her relationship with God. She now saw Him as a loving Father and that her earthly father was NOT His attention. I hate it when well-intentioned Christians say the wrong thing, such as, “God allowed it” or “God had this plan for you.”

 God does not cause trauma. People do.

This evil was never God’s intention. For Patrice. For the Epstein survivors. For me.

And for you.

Perhaps you have not experienced sexual trauma, but we all have been wounded in life.

There is hope with God.

You are not alone.