Back in the 80s, when I first gave my heart to Jesus, we were taught to evangelize. I tried my hand at it where I worked as a waitress with little to no success. Most of my coworkers were not receptive. But I will never forget how one of my coworkers responded to my attempts. She was not impolite but very passionate. She let me know that she did not want anything to do with religion because her ex-husband tried to beat the fear of God into her with a metal folding chair.
Her response brought me up short. I was so in love with God and my church, it was upsetting to know that anyone would ever try to abuse their spouse in the name of God. And while feeling terrible for my coworker, I decided in my own head that such a thing was rare, even a sort of one-off situation. Because surely this could not be common. Sadly, over the years, I have learned that it is way more common than what polite Christians want to accept.
Today, I am not so naïve. Abuse of all kinds is more frequent than most people know, both inside and outside the church.
Looking back at my coworker, I can now identify that she was not only being physically abused, but she was being spiritually abused as well. And most likely, emotionally and verbally abused. Perhaps even sexually abused
As a trauma informed social worker with over twenty years of experience, I have come to understand my faith and my relationships with others, both within and without the walls of the church, need to be trauma informed.
This blog is my ruminatings on this topic.
