Comment Dieu a-t-il utilisé votre douleur?

Comment Dieu a-t-il utilisé votre douleur?

(2 Corinthiens 1:3-5)

Quand je suis venu à Christ à l'âge de 34, Je souffrais d'une grave dépression, douleur physique dans mes articulations et fatigue. J'ai demandé des réponses à plusieurs médecins, mais ils n'ont rien trouvé. Mes résultats de tests, Analyses CAT, MRIs and blood work all came back normal. I was perplexed. What is wrong with me? I now realize that my mental, emotional and health struggles were God’s way of getting my attention. Because of how poorly I felt, I couldn’t participate in my regular activities. It was during this time of suffering that God began drawing me to Himself.

How has God used suffering in your life to get your attention? In my case, God used my pain, weakness, fatigue and depression. God knows exactly how to reach all of us so that we turn to and focus on Him. God has always used my physical health issues to remind me to lean on Him. He uses suffering so that first, we will realize how much we need Him in our life and secondly, what kind of changes we need to make.

When I had the courage to trust God and finally wanted more than mere survival, God met me right where I was. God used my distress to bring me to Him. Even during my period of pain, God used me to help others. When I followed His lead by reaching out to those in need, I received even more healing for myself. Dans 2 Corinthiens 1:3-5, God’s Word says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted of God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” (ESV) God never wastes our suffering. It is all for a specific purpose. Some of you dear ones have suffered for a long time, and my heart goes out to you. It can seem very lonely at times, but God sees you. He loves you and has a purpose for your pain.

Christ suffered a horrific death on the cross for us. He also endured torture having been scourged, beaten, slapped, hit with rods and pierced in his skull with a crown of thorns. If anyone is acquainted with anguish and pain, it is Jesus. Come to Jesus just as you are, and He will give you comfort. Only He can carry you when you can’t take another step. He is the only one who will never leave you. He will not abuse you or take advantage of you. His love is pure, holy, just and life-affirming. His ways lead to true freedom and healing.

How has God used suffering in your life?

What is God showing you?

One day, beloved, we will be in glory in a place called Heaven where there is no more pain, sorrow or crying—a place where we will be embraced by the peace and love of Jesus.

Tu es aimé,
Toni

 

 

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De la honte à la victoire (Partie 4): La maltraitance s'est intensifiée à l'âge adulte

Rhonda’s Story

Life carried on, I graduated high school and went to college. After I graduated, I met a man that I thought I was so in love with. He made me feel special, wanted, loved and beautiful. He seemed to be everything I had been looking for in a man. We got engaged after a short courtship and a year later we got married. Very shortly after that his demeanor changed. He started acting jealous, trying to control what I wore and getting in between my relationships with friends and family.

I don’t remember the first time he beat me; I just remember it didn’t stop after that. Every day he would get upset about something and beat me. He was a tall man and would grab me by my throat hold me off the ground until I passed out while punching me in the head. In the beginning, I would run into the bathroom and lock the door and hide in the shower. But he kicked the door open, and beat me in the shower. He then removed the bathroom door so I couldn’t hide in there again.

I remember running out of the of the house one freezing winter night in just my clothes and socks. It was so cold outside but I didn’t care! I ran and ran until I found a building to hide behind. I sat behind an Arby’s restaurant shaking and crying, thinking about what to do, who to call. Since I had cut off all ties with friends and family, there was no one. As I sat there shaking and crying, I realized I had no place to go so I got up and walked back to the house. He beat me and raped me that night, telling me it was my fault and that I made him do it.

The beatings and rapes continued until one night I stood chopping carrots in the kitchen getting dinner ready and he walked in. He was in a bad mood. I knew what was coming as his voice started escalating. I remember thinking what kind of life is this? I wanted to get married, be loved, have kids and a beautiful home. But here I was. I remember thinking, I would rather spend the rest of my life in jail for murder than live like this. It was like I had left my body and I was watching in slow motion; I took the knife I had in my hand raised my arm and spun around. I screamed at him ready to stab him and something stopped me, I came back to reality thinking I had just stabbed him, but something stopped me. I saw fear in his eyes for the first time. He never touched me again and it wasn’t long after that I left for good.

Partie 5 Cliquez ici.

 

Chaque enfant mérite d'être aimé

Chaque enfant mérite d'être aimé

Romains 12:9b and Psalm 147:3

What happens to us as we get older and we mature and change our minds regarding abortion? Growing up I never imagined I would have an abortion. At a young age, I always loved children and took care of them because I was the oldest granddaughter on my mom’s side of the family. She is one of 10 siblings. My relatives would say, “Toni, go take the kids and play.” I even dreamed of becoming a teacher someday. That’s how much I loved children. Alors, I ask myself the question, why did I terminate the life of my first baby? Why did I allow the enemy to lie to me? Why didn’t I have the courage to admit to my parents that I had made a mistake and ask them for help? Why? These questions continue to plague me. The only response I can give right now is that I am trying to put all the pieces together to figure out the answers. I must revisit my childhood to identify the key moments in my life that led me astray. When did I start making decisions for myself—very bad ones—that would have long-lasting repercussions to endure for a lifetime?

My granddaughter, who is 8 ans, asked her mother about a huge billboard sign she saw on her way to school. The billboard read “Vote Pro-Life 2020” and showed a picture of a baby. My daughter briefly explained the issue of abortion and how the procedure leads to the death of the baby. My granddaughter was horrified. She could not believe a mother would kill her child. She wanted to know how the baby dies, but my daughter responded, “You don’t need to know that right now.” My granddaughter could not understand why a mother would take the life of her own child? They hugged one another and wept bitterly. After crying for a while, my granddaughter became angry and said, “How can our country allow this to happen?” She’s only 8. Yet, she knows that this is wrong. It breaks my heart. My granddaughter and I are extremely close. Alors, it saddens me to know that one day I will have to tell her that I had an abortion.

We have murdered over 60 million children in this country through abortion procedures. Do we need to mourn the loss of those children? Shouldn’t we all cry like my granddaughter cried when we hear such tragedy? How did each of us become so cold and disconnected from our very own child?

Where did the lie begin? When did abortion become an acceptable option? How did we transform from life-affirming children into post-abortion women? What a long and broken road we’ve walked. Let us unpack the truth and expose the reasons why we chose abortion?

I truly believe that if we had an encounter with the One True God, the Creator of the universe, engaged in a personal relationship with Him as children, teens and young adults, we would have chosen to give life to our babies in most instances. I would like to go one step further by highlighting the reality that many Christians have abortions as well. If we could only believe the truth that God loves and cherishes us and that He has a beautiful plan for our lives, we would make better decisions in this life. We were all raised in homes with some degree of dysfunction. Some were abused in their homes while others were neglected, or both. Every child deserves a safe home in which to experience love and be nurtured. Anything less is an injustice, which breaks my heart and God’s as well.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, “The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread. The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.” I believe our need for love has made us vulnerable to many kinds of evil and forms of abuse, especially you precious ones who were abused as children. When I see such evil being committed by those who have rejected Christ and remain unrepentant, the one thing that gives me peace is to know that God will bring them to justice. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romains 12: 19b)

Fear of rejection stems from another lie we have believed about God. The Lord, in His Word, reminds us numerous times, “I will not leave you.” Perhaps He knew this would be one of our greatest areas of pain and loneliness. He knew the enemy would use this lie against us as he has already done in the lives of so many others. The fear of man, fear of rejection, fear of abandonment and the fear of being judged harshly cause us to doubt God’s promises and His goodness. By fearing God more than fearing man, perhaps we would have had the courage to choose life.

It’s important to return to the memories of our past so that we can move forward. That doesn’t mean we camp out there and remain stuck in our pain. We just need to visit long enough to get understanding. In order to be healed, we must come to Jesus in our present condition and humble ourselves before Him. We can then trust Him to walk with us in the hidden places of our minds and hearts. It is only then that we can be healed and truly set free.

Alors, tell me your story. When did you think abortion was your only option?

What were the lies you believed that caused you to choose abortion in the first place?

Did someone force you to abort your baby?

God is with you dear one. He is close to the brokenhearted, and He heals your wounds. (Psaume 147:3)

Will you trust Him today to exchange your ashes, your abuse, your abortion, your sins for His love, le pardon, peace and true joy?

 

Bénédictions,

Toni

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Mon peuple plait

Mon peuple plait

From the time I was a young child, I never felt secure, confident or accepted. These insecurities gave the enemy an opening into my heart. He planted the lie in my mind that if I were perfect, I would be loved. Perfection in every task and responsibility set before me became my obsession. From school to sports and hobbies—basically anything I did—I had to be perfect. When I look back, I can see that my efforts were a waste of time. The enemy’s plan was quite insidious because he knew I could never be perfect. Only God is perfect. By striving for perfection, I would ultimately fall short and feel rejected.

The enemy drove me to failure so that I would look for other means of satisfying my longing to feel accepted, included and secure. He accomplished his mission. I failed. Being the good, quiet one in the family was not working for me anymore, so I decided to rebel. At the age of 12, I began sneaking Scotch whisky from my parent’s liquor cabinet when they were attending my brother’s football practices. Alcohol use was the beginning of my demise, which ultimately lead to the death of my child through abortion. My poor choices opened the door to more evil as a consequence. My striving for acceptance from all the wrong people would lead me to use drugs and sex to fill the void in my heart, which I would later discover could only be filled by a relationship with Jesus. I had no restraint. My conscience was slowly becoming numb as I failed to use sound judgment. Over time, I barely felt conviction for sin. I wanted to protect my parents from disappointment, so I kept all of this a secret.

My fear of rejection was stronger than anything else in my life. Par conséquent, I became a people-pleaser. I would do anything to be loved and accepted. I would allow others to use me, and I used others to fulfill my desires. Heartbroken from my wound of rejection, I hungered for love, leaving the door open to accept abuse from others. I believed that I was not a person of value. I was easily manipulated and controlled by those closest to me because I had no boundaries. I had no self-respect, so others didn’t respect me either. I felt used, abused, unloved and worthless. During my teenage years, all of those unresolved emotions lead me into depression. When I entered into college, I was no longer restricted and restrained by my parents’ rules. I would drink alcohol to the point of abusing myself. I hated who I had become so much so that I wanted to hurt myself. One day in my dorm room, I actually kicked out the small window by my bed. Thank God I was wearing cowboy boots at the time, or else I would have badly cut or broken my foot. I was like a walking volcano. My excessive drinking led to fits of rage where hot lava came spewing from within my inner darkness, and I had no control over who was going to receive that hot mess. Afterwards, I would feel so much shame and guilt over my actions. It felt like being trapped in a dark pit all alone with the abuser and accuser—the father of lies. It was a living hell, but I didn’t know what to do to stop the destructive cycle.

I could never say no to anyone because I didn’t want to disappoint people. I just wanted to be loved and validated by others hoping they would see value in me because I couldn’t see it. My people-pleasing strategy backfired when I failed to follow through on all the things I said yes to. There were simply not enough hours in the day to accomplish all that I had agreed to do. I would overextend myself, and then I would have to back out of things. That was such an uncomfortable thing to do. A vicious cycle had developed, and I didn’t know how to stop it. I put others’ needs above my own needs. I truly believed that if I didn’t keep a perfect house, if I didn’t follow all the rules and if I wasn’t the perfect wife, my husband would toss me away. Par conséquent, I tolerated unacceptable behavior out of fear. The enemy constantly tormented me with his lies when all I wanted was to be loved.

I realize now that the enemy wanted me to kill myself, but God had another plan for my life—one that was good and filled with hope and a prosperous future. (Jérémie 29:11) He did not allow the enemy to succeed in having me take my own life even though I had taken the life of my child. God thwarted Satan’s plan to destroy my body and my soul. God knew that I would receive Christ as my savior at the age of 34. He knew that in 2006 I would start my abortion recovery and healing journey. He knew that in 2013 I would start Mes cendres à la beauté, a post-abortion recovery and healing ministry. What the enemy meant for evil God turned around for good. (Genèse 50:20) God has been watching over me all these years while protecting me from the enemy so that I could fulfill His calling on my life. I now live my life to please God and Him alone. I no longer care about what others think of me, which is a form of idolatry. I am so humbled by and grateful for God’s mercy towards this poor broken woman who was dying inside. She is now alive and adopted as a daughter into God’s family.

Are you or/were you a people-pleaser?

Are you still concerned about what others think of you?

How did you break that dysfunctional cycle?

Jérémie 29:11 – “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the LORD, pensées de paix et non de mal, to give you a future and a hope.”

Genèse 50:20 – “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”

Bénédictions,

Toni

Audio de "Mes gens plaisent" article de blog

Audio de My People-Plaisant (espagnol)

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Mes mécanismes d'adaptation malsains

Mes mécanismes d'adaptation malsains

Les mécanismes d'adaptation sont définis comme des techniques que nous utilisons pour nous aider à gérer le stress et la douleur dans notre vie.. Les mécanismes d'adaptation courants sont évitement et isolement, le déni, activité, rationalisation et contrôle. De mon enfance, J'ai appris évitement et isolement pour me protéger des personnes ou des situations malsaines. Courir et me cacher sont devenus ma réaction habituelle face aux problèmes lorsque j'étais petit enfant.. À l'âge adulte, J'ai continué à utiliser ces tactiques jusqu'à ce que je commence mon parcours de rétablissement et que j'apprenne de nouveaux mécanismes d'adaptation sains.. Louons Dieu! Au lieu d'éviter, Dieu m'a donné une voix, et j'ai appris à communiquer mes goûts et mes dégoûts. Je n'ai jamais développé une voix en grandissant. toutefois, une fois que j'ai mis des limites, utiliser ma voix était nécessaire pour communiquer ces limites aux autres. Au fur et à mesure que le temps passait, Je me sentais plus à l'aise de partager mon cœur avec les autres sans craindre le rejet. Dieu m'a aussi dit d'arrêter de courir et de me cacher et de lui laisser le résultat..

J'avais d'énormes angles morts en tant que femme après un avortement en ce qui concerne mon rôle parental. Concernant mes enfants, Je suis devenu extrêmement sensible et surprotecteur. J'ai été parent par peur. Je ne voulais pas qu'ils ressentent la douleur que j'avais ressentie. Je pensais que si je pouvais les contrôler, peut-être que je pourrais les empêcher de vivre ce que j'ai fait. À présent, Je sais que c'était une erreur de penser. j'étais dedans le déni jusqu'à ce que je réalise deux choses: Je ne peux pas contrôler une autre personne, et faire quoi que ce soit par peur ne donne jamais de bons résultats. Alors, J'ai appris à m'excuser auprès de mes enfants pour ma parentalité surprotectrice, laissant Dieu tout-puissant changer le cœur des autres.. Quand je me sens impuissant, Je me souviens d'abandonner le contrôle à Dieu pour créer un changement chez les autres ou dans les situations. Je vivais dans le déni à cause de ma peur du rejet de mes parents et de mon conjoint.. Par conséquent, J'ai obéi à des règles ridicules pour être accepté et aimé des autres. Honnêtement, ça n'a jamais fonctionné. Quand j'ai finalement reçu l'amour de Jésus dans mon cœur, J'ai eu le courage de me débrouiller seule sans craindre d'être rejetée parce que je savais que Dieu ne me quitterait jamais ni ne m'abandonnerait..

Occupé C'était un outil que l'ennemi a utilisé pendant de nombreuses années pour que je n'aie pas le temps de reconnaître ma vie dysfonctionnelle et de travailler sur moi-même.. Dans l'année 2010, Dieu m'a dit d'arrêter de servir. Je ne pouvais pas croire qu'il voulait que je fasse ça. Que penseront les autres? Poser cette question m'a conduit directement à la réponse :tu dois travailler sur toi parce que tu es un chiot malade. J'ai répondu par obéissance et j'ai pris le temps de travailler sur ma propre guérison 2010-2012. Pendant ce temps, Dieu m'a emmené dans un endroit désert avec Lui afin qu'Il puisse dissiper tous les mensonges auxquels j'avais cru. En se concentrant sur Sa vérité, Je pourrais être guéri et enfin libéré. Bien que Dieu m'ait appelé à ce ministère en 2006, Il a finalement pu m'équiper une fois que j'ai ralenti et que je me suis concentré uniquement sur Lui..

j'avais rationalisé mon avortement parce que je croyais que puisque je prenais tellement de drogues lourdes et que je buvais en fumant 2 paquets de cigarettes par jour, mon bébé serait gravement déformé. Je sentais que mes parents me rejetteraient et seraient extrêmement déçus de moi. Mais en y repensant 40 années, J'aurais aimé avoir le courage de leur dire que j'ai fait une erreur et de leur demander de l'aide. Je ne peux pas changer mon passé. Tout ce que je peux faire, c'est en tirer des leçons et partager mon expérience, force et espoir avec les autres. Avec un peu de chance, ceux que je contacte avec mon témoignage peuvent faire des choix sains en connaissant toutes les informations à l'avance.

Contrôle était un autre outil que j'ai appris à utiliser très jeune. Je croyais honnêtement que je pouvais contrôler ce que ressentaient les autres et ce qu'ils pensaient afin de déterminer l'issue d'une situation.. Tout cela n'était qu'un mensonge. Je n'avais aucun contrôle sur aucune de ces choses. J'ai essayé de contrôler la façon dont les gens réagissaient et se comportaient envers moi. J'ai essayé de contrôler ce que les autres voyaient en moi en me cachant derrière un masque. J'ai également essayé de contrôler mon poids en prenant des pilules amaigrissantes et des pilules amaigrissantes et en me purgeant après avoir trop mangé.. Dieu m'a montré qu'en lui cédant le contrôle, Je peux être libéré de ces obsessions et de cet esclavage.

Je suis tellement reconnaissante d'avoir aujourd'hui été libérée de tous mes mécanismes d'adaptation malsains.. J'ai acquis de nouvelles compétences pour m'aider à faire face à la douleur et aux traumatismes de mon passé. J'ai dû complètement abandonner tout et tout le monde à Dieu. Je ne tenais plus si fort mes enfants. Je ne me souciais plus de ce que les autres pensaient de moi. Je n'ai pas obéi à des règles ridicules par peur d'être rejeté. J'avais maintenant une voix, et Dieu m'a appris à l'utiliser pour exprimer mes sentiments de manière saine., voie divine. Je ne suis plus esclave de mes anciennes pensées et de mes anciens comportements.. Dans les Romains 12:2, la Bible dit : « Ne vous conformez pas à ce monde mais laissez-vous transformer par le renouvellement de votre esprit… » Le temps quotidien passé avec Dieu dans sa Parole et l'écoute du Saint-Esprit m'ont aidé à sortir du chaos., dysfonctionnement et de la misère dans un monde paisible, une vie ordonnée et épanouissante.

Quelles choses malsaines avez-vous utilisées pour vous aider à faire face au traumatisme de votre passé?

Quelles sont les façons saines dont vous faites face aux choses maintenant?

Contactez-nous et obtenez l'aide et les encouragements dont vous avez besoin. Nous sommes ici prêts et attendant de vous servir et de vous aider à devenir la femme pour laquelle Dieu vous a créé..

Bénédictions,

Toni

 

 

 

—Toni

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