Recognizing Spiritual Abuse and Healing
It began as devotion. Trusting leaders, listening closely to their words. But slowly, the words that once inspired began to weigh her down. This is the story of spiritual abuse and healing — a journey from confusion to freedom.
At first, the verses felt like guidance. She wanted to be faithful, obedient, and good. Yet over time, scripture was no longer a lamp to her feet but a chain around her soul.
“Submit,” they would say. “Do not question.” Their voices carried the weight of heaven, and she felt crushed under it. The God she once loved now felt like a stern judge, keeping tally of her failures.
But truth has a way of rising. Through small glimpses — a conversation with a trusted friend, a sermon from another church, a scripture she read in solitude — the fog began to lift. She realized the words had been twisted, reshaped to keep her small and compliant.
Healing was slow, fragile, and at times uncertain. Yet as she walked away from manipulation, she rediscovered a God who was not cruel but compassionate, not condemning but tender.
The unseen weight began to lift. And in its place, hope returned.
TOMFAW – Trusting Our Maker Finding A Way
GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment)