Grazia incredibile

Grazia incredibile

Grazia incredibile

by Toni Weisz/Abuse Recovery
Ephesians 4:29-32 and Numbers 6:24-26

Ephesians 4:29-32
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ forgave you.

In the Moody Handbook of Theology, Paul Enns defines God’s grace as the unmerited or undeserving favor of God to those who are under condemnation. I did not grow up in a home where grace was displayed instead of harsh punishment. Come un bambino, this caused me to be fearful and to hide.

I went to a church that was big and dark inside, and they spoke in a foreign language. The school associated with this church was very much the same. Students were hit with rulers when they disobeyed. Because I did not see grace and love in these formative places, I believed God was harsh and angry and ready to hit me when I got out of line. I began to believe that my faith in God was based upon my good works, per esempio., If I am good, I will be loved and accepted, but if I disobey, I will be severely punished. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why I didn’t run to God when I was 21, unmarried, and pregnant. I was fearful that He too would judge me harshly and punish me severely.

During my adult life, I once again encountered a harsh church environment. My husband and I and our family started attending a legalistic church for several years where it was all about following the rules with no room for grace. The Holy Spirit in me was so grieved that I could barely feel or sense His presence.

At first, I didn’t recognize it, but I was experiencing spiritual abuse. Even so, I wanted to serve Jesus. If that meant wearing dresses 24/7 and obeying ridiculous rules, then that’s what I would do. This spiritual oppression greatly affected my soul, and I felt like I was slowly dying inside. Unfortunately, i miei figli (who were in high school at the time) were also subjected to this spiritual abuse. I was so grateful when we finally got away from that toxic environment.

Similarly, I have experienced harsh treatment from another ministry leader as well. I felt like I could never do anything right and was always under a microscope. Every little thing I did was magnified and made into a public example. I was so embarrassed and felt discouraged. But God called me to the abortion recovery ministry, and I was not going to stop until God told me to.

Then one day, God brought a leader into my life who was kind and gentle. She gave me permission to just be me and fostered a safe environment in which I could open up and share about the emotional and spiritual abuse I was experiencing. I trusted her, and she truly encouraged me. It was so refreshing to have a leader that was sweet and kind, just like Jesus.

In our ministry, we want each woman to feel safe and know that she can share her story without judgement. We encourage her to use her voice, perhaps for the first time in her life. We want her to see the love of Jesus in our words and our actions. God wants our words to speak hope and life into the lives of the women He brings to our ministry, and that is what we will always try to do.

God has given us His heart for these courageous women. We are honored to walk alongside them on their healing journeys. You too are welcome here, courageous woman. Come as you are; we are waiting for you.

Closing Thoughts
What is grace? Grace is a gift from God; it cannot be earned.

Grace is overlooking someone else’s faults and loving them where they are.

I am so grateful for God’s overwhelming love and grace in my life. This grace compels me to love others, to extend mercy, and to be kind to all people. This grace humbles me when I think about what Jesus did for me on the cross…a gift I can never repay.

Number 6:24-26
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.”

 

Reflection Questions:

  1. Do you judge yourself or others harshly?
  2. Do others treat you harshly?
  3. Have you received God’s grace?
  4. Are you able to extend God’s grace to others?
  5. How can we pray for you?

Please reach out if you need to talk. You can email me at: toni@myashestobeauty.com.

Sei amato,
Toni

 

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I miei malsani meccanismi di coping

I miei malsani meccanismi di coping

UNautobus ReCUPERO Support solruppo (ARSG)

I miei malsani meccanismi di coping

Coping mechanisms are defined as techniques we use to help us cope with the stress, pain, and trauma we have experienced in our lives.

Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms:

Avoidance and Isolation

Drugs and Alcohol

Denial

Impegno

Rationalization

Control

From my childhood I learned avoidance and isolation to keep me safe from unhealthy people or situations. Running and hiding is what I learned as a small child and I still used those tactics as an adult. Until I got into recovery and learned new healthy coping mechanisms. Lodare Dio! Instead of avoidance God gave me a voice and I learned to communicate my likes and dislikes. I never developed a voice growing up but once I put up boundaries, using my voice was necessary to communicate those boundaries to others. As time went by, I felt more comfortable sharing my heart with others without fear of rejection. God also told me to stop running and hiding and to leave the outcome to Him.

Just recently I was triggered by a situation and my first response was to run away and to disconnect from this person. I see now that was a wrong response. I had to pray very hard for the Lord to help me in this area. We all have things from our past trauma that causes us to go back to our old ways of dealing with things, especially when we are weak, or vulnerable, or HALT (Affamato, Arrabbiato, Solo o stanco). I am grateful for God showing me that by having healthy boundaries and by using my voice is the best way to live a life that is peaceful and pleasing to Him.

I started using alcohol and drugs a 12 years old when I was not getting the healthy attention I needed at home. I decided to start taking matters into my own hands, which was a defining moment in my life because as a result of that choice I would run to other things other than God when I was hurting. I just wanted a quick fix to avoid the pain I had accumulated all my life. I used people and allowed them to use me. My life was filled with regret, fear of rejection, depressione, suicidal thoughts and self-hatred. I thank God for having mercy on this broken woman, who saved me from myself destructive lifestyle. I now run to Jesus to take my pain away.

I was in denial about the dysfunction in my home of origin and my home with my husband and children, for many years until I realized I cannot control another person and doing anything out of fear never has a good outcome. I don’t have the power to change another person only God does. Così, I relinquish control to God to change others or situations when I feel powerless. I was in denial due to my fear of rejection from my parents and spouse so I obeyed ridiculous rules to be accepted and loved by others, but that never worked. When I finally received the love of Jesus in heart then I had the courage to stand on my own without fear of rejection because I knew God would never leave me or forsake me.

Impegno was a tool the enemy used on me for decades, his purpose was to keep me so busy that I would not have time to recognize my dysfunctional life. My striving for love and acceptance even from God, kept me working so hard to be worthy, I never stopped long enough to evaluate my life, my choices, my relationships, my unhealthy view of myself, Dio, e altri. I was so messed up, but I could not see that, until God showed me my ways were not working. Back in 2010 I was so depressed I asked God to take me home because I just wanted to die. And He said, “Do you believe I can turn things around for your good?” and I said, “Yes Lord I believe that.” He said, “TRUST ME.” After that I got in ACA recovery work and inner healing group for 5 anni. God was exposing the lies, with His truth, I was learning about boundaries and what that looks like and he showed me that I was enabling abuse from others by not using my voice. God had me stop from all serving at church and First Care, because I was that sick and needed God to intervene to heal me. God was so faithful and put the right people in my path and I was healed and set free from all the dysfunction in my life and I started experiencing true peace and freedom in Christ. In Jan 2013 I started this ministry. Praise Him!!! Grazie, Gesù.

I rationalized my abuse, thinking I must not be a person of value or else others would treat me differently. Dopo il mio aborto, the enemy told me I deserve to be abused because of my decision to abort my child. My husband was very controlling and I and the children were required to obey ridiculous rules. I rationalized in my head if I don’t obey these rules, he will leave me. The enemy used that lie for decades to keep me in bondage and in a very unhealthy home environment. I am thankful for the day I had courage to say no, I am not going to follow these rules and leave the outcome in God’s hands. I was no longer fearful of him leaving, I trusted God to take care of me and He has. My relationship with my husband now is better than it ever has been. I now know that I am loved and valued by God and He doesn’t want me to accept abusive treatment from anyone; I don’t deserve to be abused regardless of my poor choices in the past. He loves me and wants me to use my voice to put up healthy boundaries and to protect myself from unhealthy people and situations. I cannot change my past, all I can do is learn from it and share my experience, strength, and hope with others so perhaps they can make healthy choices.

Control was a tool I learned to use when I was very young. I honestly believed I could control how others feel, what they do, and that I could control the outcome. That all was a lie. I had no control over any of those things. Areas I tried to control were how people reacted and behaved toward me. I tried to control what others saw in me by wearing a mask and I also tried to control how much I weighed by taking speed, diet pills, and purging after I ate too much. God showed me by relinquishing control to Him that I can be set free from these obsessions and torment. He taught me to love myself just the way I am and to relinquish all control to Him, because He will never harm me.

I am so grateful that today I have been set free from all my unhealthy coping mechanisms and I have learned new skills to help me cope with the pain and trauma from my past. I had to completely surrender everything and everybody to God. I no longer cared about what others thought of me, I didn’t obey ridiculous rules out of fear of being rejected, I now had a voice and God has taught me how to use it to express my feelings in a healthy godly way. I am no longer in bondage to my old thinking and my old behavior patterns.

In Romans 12:2 the Bible says do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…. Daily time spent with God in His Word and listening to the Holy Spirit has helped me to move out of the chaos, dysfunction, and misery into a peaceful, orderly, and fulfilling life.

What have you used to help you cope with the trauma from your past?

What are some healthy ways you use to cope with things now?

Sei amato,

Toni

 

 

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La nostra percezione di Dio e perché è importante

La nostra percezione di Dio e perché è importante

Colossians 3:2
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

romani 12:1-2
Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

I can’t remember where I got this quote from but it makes a lot of sense. “Science tells us that repetitive thoughts over time become physical ruts in the brain that effect reasoning, choices, and eventually our beliefs.”

What was your perception of God as a child?

Was He kind, loving, and approachable or cold, distant, and angry?
My perception of God as a child was that He was unapproachable angry and would punish me for the slightest offense, He was not a God of love but of wrath. I grew up in a church that I saw punishment for the slightest offense with rulers and scolding. The people there were very harsh and critical. And that God was all about following rules. Non ho visto l'amore di Dio lì.
You can read my Blog under stinking thinking: https://myashestobeauty.com/stinking-thinking-my-distorted-view-of-god/

How did that affect you growing up?
Because of my distorted view of God, when I found myself in bad situations, I decided to take matters into my own hands instead of asking God what I should do. I didn’t think He cared about me. I was in such darkness I could not see His light at all. Because of the unhealthy relationships I had with others closest to me which were quite manipulative and controlling, I didn’t think I was worth very much to God or others. Così, what does it matter what I do to my body, my baby, or others? But God was showing up ever now and then when I felt like He was there and He was interested in my life. But I would not come to know Him as my Lord and Savior until I was 34 Anni.

Ephesians 3:16-19
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

How do you see God now?
I now have finally received the beautiful redeeming work of Christ in my life once I was able to receive His love into the inner most part of my being, that truth changed me forever. Even after I was saved, I allowed people to abuse me and use me because I had no boundaries, and because I didn’t love myself, others didn’t treat me with love and respect either. But once His love permeated my heart, I had courage to put up boundaries and I started taking care of myself and loving myself. It was the most freeing and beautiful thing I have experienced, to know the love of God for myself. To feel and know in my heart, that no matter what I have done in the past He loves me.

How does He see you?
I am grateful for the truth from God’s word that every person is created in His image and is given intrinsic value and is created with a purpose for His kingdom. I am no longer bound to Satan and sin instead I am adopted into the family of God; I am a daughter of the King of Glory. He loved me so much He died for me on the cross. His love is so deep, and wide, and high that I cannot comprehend it, but I believe in my heart I am cherished and loved by God. And I will be with Him forever in heaven for all eternity. In July of 2017 we were having my extended family in town, my sister and brother and their families. Di conseguenza, I started feeling anxious and started feeling rejected by all of them, because you see they do not know the Lord yet, so I am not apart of their family anymore. Rejection was a huge wound for me and I can go there very quickly if I am not grounded in the Word. To Combat my rejection wound God had me write out specific Biblical truths about, “Who I am in Christ,” it goes like this:

Who I am in Christ

I am worthy
I am loved
I belong
Sono accettato
I am adopted
I am confident and competent
I am a child of God
I have the Holy Spirit within me
I am victorious in Christ
I have a home in heaven
Nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus my Lord
I will fear no evil

I am so proud of you for having the courage to step out and trust God to heal you.

You are safe her beloved sister.

Sei amato,
Toni

Salmo 147:3
Egli guarisce coloro che hanno il cuore spezzato e fascia le loro ferite. (NKJV)

Toni and the Team at myashestobeauty.com

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Permetterai a Gesù di guarirti?

Permetterai a Gesù di guarirti?

UNautobus ReCUPERO Support solruppo (ARSG)

Permetterai a Gesù di guarirti?

Egli guarisce coloro che hanno il cuore spezzato e fascia le loro ferite. Salmo 147:3 NKJV

Solo Gesù sa cosa si prova a subire abusi verbali e fisici, deriso e sputato, e pubblicamente umiliato mentre pendeva nudo sulla croce e picchiato e rifiutato dai suoi amici più cari. Credo che solo Gesù possa guarirci fisicamente, spiritualmente, mentalmente, ed emotivamente da tutte le forme di abuso e trauma che abbiamo sperimentato nella nostra vita. In Isaia 53:5, dice la Bibbia, “Ma Egli è stato ferito per le nostre trasgressioni, È stato ferito per le nostre iniquità; il castigo per la nostra pace ricadde su di Lui, E per le Sue piaghe siamo guariti.”

Grazie per aver partecipato al nostro primo incontro del gruppo di supporto sugli abusi. Copriremo tutti i tipi di abuso emotivo, fisico, sessuale, e spirituale. Vogliamo dare a ognuno di voi l'opportunità di condividere le vostre storie e i vostri cuori in un ambiente sicuro e amorevole in modo che il viaggio di guarigione che avete iniziato continui. Una cosa che ho imparato attraverso il Ministero per il recupero dell’aborto è che abbiamo bisogno di una comunità di donne che abbiano sperimentato le stesse cose che abbiamo sperimentato noi., per poterci aprire ed essere vulnerabili. Dio ti sta fornendo un gruppo di sorelle che amano Gesù e si amano tra loro, e che sono coraggiosi e impegnati in questo viaggio di guarigione. Sono disposti a fare il lavoro necessario per raggiungere il livello successivo nella loro guarigione mentre si avvicinano a Dio nel processo. Non vogliono più accontentarsi di esistere a malapena. NO, vogliono di più. Vogliono la vita abbondante che Gesù è morto per dare loro.

Nella mia casa d'origine, Non ho mai sviluppato una voce a causa del caos e dell’imprevedibile ambiente domestico in cui sono cresciuto. Fin dalla tenera età, Credevo di avere il potere di rendere qualcuno felice o arrabbiato con il mio comportamento. Quella era una bugia proveniente dall'abisso dell'inferno, ma non avrei scoperto quella verità finché non mi fossi dedicato al lavoro di recupero dell'ACA 2010-2015. Non ho tale controllo, ma questa bugia mi ha portato lungo un percorso di piacere alle persone che mi ha aperto a tutti i tipi di trattamenti duri e abusi da parte di altri che avrebbero voluto usarmi e manipolarmi. Ho abilitato questo comportamento a causa del mio bisogno di amore e accettazione. Non ho capito la codipendenza, abuso emotivo e verbale, e come stava avendo un effetto su di me e sulle scelte che avrei fatto nella mia vita. Pensavo che fosse normale; era il mio normale ma, Dio sa che non era il Suo piano per la famiglia.

Ho iniziato a ribellarmi all'età di 12, bevendo whisky scozzese dall'armadietto dei liquori dei miei genitori, sballarsi 13 e fare sesso a 16 poi, il mio aborto a 21. Ho lottato con la depressione da adolescente, e quando mi sono ubriacato, Ho agito male e ho buttato giù una finestra nel dormitorio del mio college. Ho preso a pugni i muri ed ero così pieno di rabbia e odio verso me stesso. Dopo il mio aborto, questi meccanismi malsani di coping sono semplicemente aumentati di intensità. Il mio aborto è stato il chiodo nella mia bara. Quell’atto mi ha gettato a capofitto nell’oscuro abisso della disperazione e dei pensieri suicidi. Volevo solo porre fine a questo tormento di una vita; Non ho visto una via d'uscita.

Poi un giorno glorioso, Ho incontrato Gesù e Lui ha perdonato tutti i miei peccati, e cominciò a guarire il mio corpo spezzato, anima e mente. Sono passati ventisette anni, e Lui continua a guarirmi e ad amarmi. Ed è stato un bellissimo viaggio.

Com'era la tua casa d'origine??

In che modo ciò ha influenzato il tuo processo decisionale??

Hai preso decisioni sane o basate sulla paura?

Hai ricevuto aiuto in quest'area per fermare questo ciclo malsano nella tua vita?

Il UNautobus ReCUPERO Support solruppo (ARSG) si riunisce la 2a e la 4a domenica di ogni mese, a 4:15 PM EST. Maggiori informazioni sugli appelli domenicali si trovano in questa pagina, Trauma dell'abuso sessuale.

Per favore, contattaci, inviaci un'e-mail a arwsg4u2@gmail.com, possiamo aiutarti a guarire dal tuo trauma passato con il nostro gruppo di supporto amorevole e premuroso, la Parola di Dio, lo spirito Santo, preghiera, e responsabilità.

Sei amato,
Toni

 

 

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