"Hush - Moving from Silence to Healing after Childhood Sexual Abuse" by Nicole Braddock Bromley...sounded like a great book. She wrote this in 2007 and will be coming to Michigan Tech on the 28th of March.
She lost me....before she was half way through.
In chapter 5 "The truth shall set you free" she writes...
....you'll never find genuine healing outside of a relationship with God. I would be doing you an injustice to tell you that breaking the silence and accepting the truth about your abuse is the end of your healing. I've heard many speakers say that you should never expect to overcome the pain of sexual abuse. They say that you'll aways feel empty inside because of it. My message is different.. I just can't leave you there!"
"You see, I know from my own experience that knowing God was what quieted my questioning heart and allowed His healing waters to flow in and out of my life. Some of you may be thinking, "This may have worked for Nicole because she has a close relationship with God, but it won't work for me. I don't have that. The greatest news in the world is that you can have one too! What God has done for me, He is longing to do for you."
"If we're truthful, we have to admit that our own efforts to cope with abuse haven't really worked. In many cases, they have just added more problems and injuries; and in the end we still feel shame, pain and sadness. We've hurt others and ourselves, and in so doing, we've hurt God. But the good news is that all of this can be forgiven and the slate wiped clean. This happens through a personal relationship with God's Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for us so that our sins could be forgiven and we could become children of God."
"All you have to do to join God's family is to admit that you have failed Him, realize that you need him, and ask him to forgive you and to come into your heart to be your Lord and Savior. This is a simple path to an up-close-and-personal, day-in-day-out relationship with the God of the universe."
"Once you're in God's family, you can start to get to know Him. Ask Him to show you His true character and reveal to you any lies you've believed about him, He will. he wants to show you! No matter what you are struggling with, take it to the Lord. If it's a lack of faith or lack of desire to know Him more, tell Him. He can handle it. He wants to hear from you. He wants to answer you. He wants to help you." Nicole
These words leave me without words.
I don't know where to begin to begin.
She goes on to say.....
"Replacing lies With Truth."
"Although most lies took root when you were abused as a child, your abuser isn't the only enemy you have. Satan will try and get you with his tricks as well. He doesn't want you to get very far on your healing journey; in fact, he will do everything he can to trip you up by keeping you from knowing the truth. The apostle John says this about him: "He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44)
"LISTENING TO SATAN PLANTS THE SEED OF A FALSE BELIEF SYSTEM DEEP WITHIN US."
"Dwelling on his lies allows a poisonous vine to grow in the soil of our minds and then spread until it affects every area of our lives. The longer you allow it to live on the inside, the more it will manifest itself on the outside in behavior that keeps us in the darkness and bondage. The only way to break free of this oppression is to root out each lie and replace it with truth. When we demolish lies about God, all the lies that stem from a false view of Him will die as well."
"Survivors of abuse often find it hard to resist Satan's lies because their own experiences make them seem credible. When you find yourself harboring the Devil's lies in your mind, do what Jesus did when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness; Counter each lie with a truth from God's Word. This is the way to resist Satan, and God promises that when you do this, "he will flee from you" (James 4:7)." Nicole
I will go and listen to her.
But, my overall impression of her book is that it is a dis-service to those of us who are breaking our silence and sharing our truths.
It left me with one choice.
Hers.
I would not recommend this book.
I can't wait to sit in the audience and feel her message.
