Very cool T

Well, we saw our T today. I was kind of upset because I had seen my midwife and had disclosed my issues (as much as I could because I was really having trouble staying grounded) and she, knowing that I was a Christian, suggested that she knew people that could pray for deliverance if I wanted that. Since my parents had been part of a charismatic-cult-type church when I was young, this reminded me of all the condemnation I had gotten at that time when I had tried to tell people about the abuse I was being told that I needed to "get my heart right" about my rebelliousness and was prayed over instead of helped.

Since my T is a Christian like me, I wasn't sure what she would think about this advice. I mean deliverance can be a good thing, right?

Boy, she seemed really mad! (I guess she's pretty skilled at keeping her own feelings under wraps, because I could only tell because I've known her so long). She said, "Oh. No. We'll be having a discussion about that, and it will stop." (I had signed the release for them to talk). I explained that the midwife just made a suggestion in a nice way only knowing I'm a Christian, but that I had just been upset when she brought it up twice, but my T said, "Nope. It's going to stop. You've had enough spiritual abuse in your life, and that would only serve as a big trigger for you." In a the end kind of manner.



I felt very cared for in that moment. It sure is cool to have someone understand you.

DeAnna

Your T definitely sounds cool! If I were brave enough to go to a doctor, I hope my T would be the same way, if I were to sign a release for them to talk. Yeah, it definitely sounds like she cares for you. I get angry like that if I hear that someone I care for is being mistreated. I can physically feel myself boiling!!!

InfinitD wrote: You've had enough spiritual abuse in your life, and that would only serve as a big trigger for you."

VERY BIG TRIGGER WARNING

Spiritual Abuse? In a Christian family? This reminds me very much of what it was like growing up in my family. I grew up Christian, and still am, and my mom claims to be. She's also the one who would hold my brothers down as they kicked and screamed and "cast out demons." She would tell me to do it too. I didn't know there was a name for it, spiritual abuse. Now, she always says in this loving voice how much she is "praying for me," I'm sure cuz she thinks now I have a demon.

Continue TRIGGER WARNING:

dividedtruth89 wrote:"cast out demons."

OMG tell me about it.

I read a book one time that really set things straight for me on the issue because I still believe that it was when they became involved in this type of behavior that things went from bad to worse. Maybe some time you can use some of this in response to such hapless "interventions":

It is not our job to do battle with the "evil forces" let's call them. We are to resist them, certainly, it even says that in the Bible. But unless (and this should be done EACH time) we fully sanctify and prepare ourselves to do battle with fasting & prayer for example, we absolutely SHOULD NOT be conversing with demons. This is called prayer. And in my book, praying to evil forces is risky risky risky behavior NOT condoned by God. You are inviting evil forces to commune and rest with you and with those for whom you "pray." Resistance does NOT mean praying to or talking to demons. It means calling on God to keep you safe, to send you help, or in whatever manner He deems appropriate, to help you. Our job is to ask God for these things. He has whole armies for this (bigger than any old rag-tag fleet of demons or measly little humans like us). He wants you to have a relationship with HIM and to let HIM care for you. He does NOT instruct us talk or pray to demons. NEVER go into battle without first ensuring you have the FULL armor of God on and fully discussing with GOD first what you intend to do and clearly getting His permission to do it. GOD FIRST.

It helps me to remember this, and I think it is what has helped me to move past my family's curse.

InfinitD, this makes so much sense. The behavior I witnessed growing up has caused me to have some serious conflict regarding my faith/religion, so thank you. This makes it very clear.

dividedtruth89 wrote:has caused me to have some serious conflict regarding my faith/religion

Been there. Main reason why Veronica is still not a Christian.

Glad you could get some help from that. It sure helped me. I also was helped, tremendously, by the Chronicles of Narnia books (not films). Only thing that kept me Christian all those years was Aslan's treatment of the young Telmarine in The Last Battle and the thought that surely God would be as understanding as that. Don't underestimate the deepness in the simple story, there. C.S. Lewis' vision (he's the greatest apologist of all time IMO) of a loving caring savior is right on, and this warped view that religions often heap on us of a judging, unforgiving God is just not biblical. Unfortunately, it's hard to shake the feeling that "they" might be right because of the nature of it all, but true study of the Bible (not just re-hashed sermons from every fallible preacher who went to seminary *shudder*) usually sorts out the truth, which is that God does everything out of care and love.

InfinitD wrote: Only thing that kept me Christian all those years was Aslan's treatment of the young Telmarine in The Last Battle and the thought that surely God would be as understanding as that. Don't underestimate the deepness in the simple story, there.

Yes! C.S. Lewis is amazing. I can never get over the beauty of the last paragraph of the last book:

"And as He spoke, He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."
-C.S. Lewis, the Last BAttle

Words like these give me hope for the future...