Missing The Path

We all headed down the path to matrimony with one goal - the elusive happily ever after. 

It didn't work that way. 

Maybe your spouse strayed off the straight and narrow. 

Maybe you did. 

Now you find yourself lost, alone, adrift. 

Or you've gotten back on track..you're just not sure it's the RIGHT track. 

You know there is hope out there, but how do you find it? Where is it?

Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV) "There is a way that seems right to a man, but it's end is the way of death"

We don't trust ourselves.  We have a hard time trusting others.  

Who CAN you trust? 

Proverbs 3:5-6 has been a favorite of mine for a long time, for it says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart,and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."

Trust. 

In God. Who is Lord of your heart. (Is He?)

With ALL your heart. 

Don't try and figure it out yourself. 

Acknowledge Him in ALL your ways. 

That's a biggie...but the payoff is huge. 

And He will direct your PATHS.  

I know I don't want to go the wrong way again. I know I don't want to go around the mountain again, suffer from a lesson I should've learned. 

So I listen to the stIll small voice. 

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27)

Do you know Him? Then His voice is still there....shhhh...still your mind. Get quiet with Him. Cry out to Him. 

He KNOWS you. 

Follow Him. He is the Way, the Truth, and the life (John 14:6). 

Tonight on the way home from work, a magnificent sunset was forming. I love photography, and I really wanted to capture the majesty I knew would be right around the corner. 

As I entered my neighborhood, the sun dipped below the horizon. 

Frustrated, I passed my street and headed to the ponds, where I was SURE I was going to get "the" shot, the perfect answer to my quest. 

I rounded the curve, and no brilliant hues were noted. Just grey clouds. I was frustrated. I knew something majestic was there. Disappointed, I went to turn home...then the voice of God said "go straight". 

So I did. Back to the front of the neighborhood.  I was turning to go home, when I looked to the left...and was transfixed!

The waning sun was reflected in the clouds, a wide open palette of pastel pinks and purples, ethereal in appearance. Like nothing I had seen! I hastily parked, jumped out of the car, and praised God! It wasn't the direction I thought it was going to come from. It wasn't what I expected. It surpassed my expectations!

In the few moments I stood in awe, another amazing scene was setting up behind me. 

I turned to go back to the car, and the second picture came into glorious view. I was surrounded by beauty - different in its manifestation, but awesome in its own way. 

I almost turned back. I thought I had missed it. 

Do you think you have missed the mark?

Gotten so far afield there is no finding the Light?

Seek ye first the kingdom of God - and HIS righteousness. And all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33). 

Never give up.

He will never give up on you. 

LS

Weighing In On Porn Addiction - And The Duggars: A Victim's Tale

Warning: I'm getting very vulnerable. I do it to help another churched victim... Hopefully more than one. 

A previous suitor of mine was a porn addict.  And a predator. 

Upstanding in the community, handsome, had a great job,was respected by his peers, and a leader in church. He knew the Bible front to back. 

He found me at a vulnerable point in my life. He could spy a victim a mile away. He wooed me. Kept boundaries. Followed timing. Said the right things. 

We got engaged. 

He raped me. 

Yeah, I should have dumped the psychopath then, but my Christian guilt held me. I was naive. I prayed for help.

We married. Soon, it degraded into mental and emotional abuse. Physical abuse that had me throwing him in jail. Physical abuse to the boys that I found out about later. 

The goal for him was not me, though. It was my toddler daughter. He used me to get to her. 

I was going to a family centered non-denominational church. I would tell them my concerns and participated in marital counseling. I was told to submit to my husband. My concerns were not heard - NO one believed me. 

I was once divorced and didn't want to be divorced again.

Once I found out he was physically abusing the boys, and had worse plans for my daughter, I left. Immediately. 

So here's my take on the Duggar situation. 

There is definitely a misogynistic bend to to some churches. I didn't have any self esteem, but I did love God and I wanted a church family. 

I've seen a lot of evil done in the name of God. 

It's not God's fault - it is sinful humanity. 

I believe in forgiveness - but I also believe in prosecution. 

I don't believe a child molester can get better. I think they need to be away from children. They break kids. Who then will have a lifetime of scars. 

I know the culture of church submission. To submit is to willingly give your power over. 

Or is it?

If you are weak emotionally, if you don't esteem yourself, if you don't know your power, how can you willingly give it? You can't. 

I found out from the next girl, who was on the chain as soon as I fled, that she, too, was raped. We wept as we told each other our all too similar stories. 

I forgive the psychopath daily. I do not forget. 

Unfortunately, he is not in prison. 

He belongs there. 

And so does Josh Duggar, in my opinion. Getting therapy, but doing time. The wife should run and not look back - I did. But my dad had my back. And I had a career. I had an escape. 

She may have the money to flee, but will she?

It's a bad situation. 

It's time to shine the light on evil that church covers up. 

Only then will it be properly - and legally - addressed. 

LA