Here are a series of questions we can ask to discover what is in our heart. What do you love? What do you hate? What do you want, crave, hope for? What is your goal? What do you fear? What do you worry about? What do you feel like you need? Where do you find […]
Where Fighting Comes From
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. James 4:1-2
Not a Cloistered Life
It is not simply to be taken for granted that the Christian has the privilege of living among other Christians. Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him. On the Cross he was utterly alone, surrounded by evil doers and mockers. For this cause he had […]
Begin in mercy
O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. 0 God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I […]
Emotions Are…
…Emotions are based on cognitive assessment and belief; they are not simply experienced. An emotion is not an impression—a feeling or a unique sort of internal experience that just happens to a person and then is named and described. Emotions are not merely physiological impulses that can be simply ignored, trivialized, or controlled. Rather, emotions […]
Self-Blame
Self-blaming is a common behavior among victims. As a coping technique and to make sense of the assault, victims make attributions for why the assault occurred. There are two types of self-blame: behavioral and characterological self-blame. Behavioral self-blame reflects the victim’s belief that his or her own behavior led to the assault. Characterological self-blame focuses […]
Effects of Sexual Assault
Sexual assault causes harmful emotional, psychological, and/or physiological effects that are more severe than the effects of other crimes. These effects include: shame, self-blame, guild, embarrassment, anxiety, stress, fear, anger, confusion, sexualized behaviors, loss of sex drive, interpersonal problems, denial, irritability, depression, despair, social withdrawal, numbing/apathy (detachment, loss of caring), chronic and acute somatizing (experiencing […]
Not Simply an Event That Happened
Sexual assault is not simply an event that happened to you, ended, and now is over. It can have an impact on every aspect of your life—you faith, your daily attitudes and emotions, your self-image, your relationships, and your sexuality. These are not just past issues but remain very real and current. Regardless of how long ago the assault took […]